The Mythical Detective Mayura
by Colormyworld
Summary: AU. Mayuloki. He was a teenager looking for adventure, and she was a goddess running from Olympus to escape her evil uncle. Loki has just found his adventure in one Matantei Mayura Daidouji. Chapter XXI: Pre-epilogue chapter!
1. Prologue: Agency

_"The most brilliant student in his grade." The teacher said with a smile in his direction._

_Mari watched Ai run away, tears running down her friend's face. She huffed at him. "You could've turned her down nicely." She turned away. "You just don't have a heart, sempai." With that, she stomped off._

_"Breaking ladies' hearts again? You're so mean to them, Loki!" His brother laughed at him as he cooked dinner._

The words were becoming echoes in his mind. The tall teenager brushed a hand through his hair, and glanced out his classroom window. "Nothing ever happens around here. I take a test, get an A+ on it, take another test, get another perfect score. Girls swoon, I reject. It's like a routine." The blonde boy sighed, putting his head on his desk as the teacher droned on about the English classics. "All I ever do is study, reject girls, and read the newspaper." The teacher was now writing someone's name on the board.

"Why can't something exciting ever happen to me?"

_A chill ran down her spine as she watched him take her father's throne."Finally, I've taken what is rightfully mine--Olympus." _

_"Athena! So glad I found ya...something bad is happening back home. You'd best escape while you can--you're on the target list."_

_"Go hide in the human world! I'll meet you there soon, promise. Apollo'll come too, don't worry. We'll find you." Her sister promised, pointing away. "Go! You're the goddess of wisdom, sis! If anyone can defeat Hades, it's you."_

"...I think the sign looks nice, Mayura-sama." The green-haired man said, adjusting his glasses at the sign that read "Enjaku Detective Agency".

The pink-haired woman smiled. "Despite the chaos back home, we can at least solve mysteries here. I wonder if there are ghosts in the mortal realm..." She said, eyes glittering at the concept.

The butler sweat-dropped. "Mayura-sama...let's focus on getting clients before worrying about what cases they'll present."

Mayura nodded, walking towards the entrance to the mansion. "Yamino-san..." She said, tapping her chin.

"Yes?" Yamino asked, turning away from the sign.

"If you see my sisters or brothers, they're probably here to kill me. So I'd advise being careful." She said with a warm smile. "Ever since _he_ took over, I've been marked for death."

"Eh...right, Mayura-sama." Yamino said nervously, following her into the mansion. "But why does...he want you to die?"

"Because I'm the fair goddess of wisdom..." Mayura trailed off as Yamino closed the door. "And Hades hates all those who are kind and true."

"Athena-sama..." Yamino started awkwardly, but was interrupted by a wave of his mistress's hand.

"I'm okay with it, don't worry, Yamino-san." She was still smiling. "We get to solve all sorts of exciting mysteries down here, right? With luck, I might even meet a bishonen!" She said, adding more skip to her steps.

He nodded, also smiling. "Then I'll get to preparing dinner, Mayura-sama. Any special requests?"

"Hm...how about some traditional Japanese food? Like cake!" She said, clapping her hands.

The butler sweat-dropped again. "All right, Mayura-sama..."

Then, the doorbell rang.

"What's this? A guest already?" Yamino asked, surprised.

"Kyaa! A human! Let's go, Yamino!" Mayura said, running to the door. Summoning her most serious face, she opened the door.

"Welcome to the Enjaku Detective Agency. How may we be of service?"

prologue//END

//\\

_I'm baaack with a new story I've been meaning to write for a long time. The prologue is just a preview of what's to come, the chapters will be far longer (insert look of dread) and more detailed. This is just the appetizer..._

_So this is Matantei Loki-reversed. Later on, you'll notice that it's practically impossible to make characters fit Greek gods, so they may be tweaked ever so slightly (Yamino is not Mayura's son, lol). If you have specific ideas on which character should be which god, let me know in the Reviews and depending on who has been assigned, you may just give me a winning idea. I hope you'll stick with me on this one to the end. Thanks for reading!_

_By the way...this one is Mayuloki, too. (:_


	2. I: Client

_A short update to give you a taste of our first case--part I of III for case 1. Characters are slightly OOC (can't be helped) but I'm trying " And some ideas have been accepted--I haven't quite decided on some of the gods, but most have been settled. Without OCs! Yay. Except minor characters, like our murderers and spirits. (: No honorifics in this one (at least not right now) so non-honorifics-understanders can...uh, understand. Wow, I have a way with words..._

The Mythical Detective Mayura

I: Client

"So you're concerned about your brother!"

The way she was pacing annoyed him. Her eager strokes of a black pen against a pink notepad (with sheep on it) annoyed him. Her eager, high voice annoyed him.

And yet something about her intrigued him. She was around his age and most certainly pretty, what with that pink hair and her odd eyes, but wore a plain blue skirt and shirt. She was so young, yet she was running this detective agency.

She even had a butler--a handsome green-haired man who seemed to be a few years older. His name was Yamino, if Loki recalled correctly. Ryou Yamino, had he said? Kosuke?

Something was strange about that fellow too. He had an odd twinkle in his eyes and a mysterious smile.

But the strangest thing of all?

This house hadn't existed a week ago. Loki was sure of it. His brother (the cheap letch) insisted that Loki walk on the long route to and from school everyday to "advertise" the shrine. By wearing a neon orange jacket. with the words "KAMIYA SHRINE" on the back.

_"The girls flock to you naturally, so it's a brilliant scheme! I mean...plan." His brother had said._

Loki had glared, much like he was doing now.

So when he had spotted this house--which had been an empty field for as long as he could remember, including a few days ago--he had stopped by to ask them a question. Something that he required of an agency anyway.

"Mr. Kamiya?" The head detective asked, calling him out of his trance.

"Sorry, Detective Daidouji." Loki said, turning to her. "What was the question?"

"So what sort of odd behavior has your brother been exhibiting?" She asked with a flash of her eyes.

The blonde sweat-dropped. "Don't look so eager. He's just been hiding things lately. I'll come home and he'll hide a glass of liquid--I think it may be wine--and tell me that he has to go. I think he's probably just drinking a lot lately. He's depressed." Loki shrugged.

"About what?" The detective asked, looking interested.

"His girlfriend rejected his proposal about a month ago. I thought he was over it, but I guess he isn't." Loki said with a sigh. "She threw the ring back at him and told him that she had just been getting revenge on him. Apparently her sister had fallen for him back in high school, and died before he noticed her. Suzuka--that's his ex--said she wanted to break his heart as revenge."

Daidouji Mayura turned to glance at Yamino. "I think this warrants further investigation! Mr. Kamiya, we accept your case!" She said with a grin. "It sounds like a wonderful mystery."

Yamino frowned at her and pulled her aside as Loki contemplated the amount of information he had given away.

The pink-haired girl turned back to Loki with a huge smile on her face. "Come, Loki, let's go to Suzuka's house! You can take me there, right?"

"Loki?" He asked with a deep frown. "Isn't that a bit friendly?"

"Don't friends use first names with each other? Especially bishonens and the beautiful detectives?" Mayura asked, looking confused.

"I'm not a--friends?" Loki raised an eyebrow. "Wait, are you not from Japan?"

The detective giggled. "I'm from a place up north." She admitted. "I've learned your culture through mystery and shojo manga!" She gave him a thumbs up.

Loki sweat-dropped again. Oh boy, this was a mistake. "Fine. You can call me Loki, but I'm not calling you Mayura!" He said, pointing a finger at her accusingly.

Confused again, Mayura nodded. "Okay..." She said, looking a bit hurt but then skipping towards the door. "C'mon, Loki, let's go to Suzuka-chan's house!"

"Well, Mr. Kamiya, I suppose we should follow her." Yamino said with a warm smile to the client. "I wouldn't want Miss Mayura to be parading around the city all alone. She's not very used to your land."

"I've noticed." Loki grumbled. "Oi, wait, tantei. I have to lead you to Suzuka's place..."

/\\\\

_Next time: who is Loki's brother? What is up with this crazy mystery? Will Loki discover the truth? Find out later!_

_By the way...the author is a horribly evil woman so you may not get updates if there are no reviews. :D! Go on...you know you want to. Guess who Loki's brother is! Amuse me._


	3. II: Investigation

_The usual warnings: OOCness (duh, it's an AU), cursing, etc..._

_Part II/III for the first case. Without further delay..._

The Mythical Detective Mayura

II: Investigation

"He's an asshole. My sister lived for him and when she died he didn't even notice. He didn't care." Suzuka said harshly, crossing her arms. "She killed herself over him! She jumped off the roof right in front of me because she knew he would never love her back."

"I-I see..." Mayura said, sniffing. "Mou, it's such a heartbreaking tale..."

"What the hell? So in another words, your sister was stalking my brother and leaving him secret notes? She never even spoke to him, yet she left razorblades in the shoes of girls he was friendly with?" Loki asked, glaring at Suzuka with much hate.

"He's an asshole." Suzuka repeated, turning her head so that her purple hair covered her eyes. "He deserves to be miserable because of me."

"But you love him! I know you do. You two were always having the weirdest conversations on the couch at night. You had this understanding..." Loki mumbled, brushing some hair out of his face. "Suzuka, please."

"No! Get out!" Suzuka said, standing up. "I don't need this damn investigation here! Leave my house _now_!"

"What? No!" Loki said, standing up. "We aren't leaving un--"

"That's all right, Loki. I have the information I need from her. Now let's go to your brother! This is very exciting..." Mayura said with her usual grin as she stood up as well and exited Suzuka's house--much to the purple-haired girl's relief.

"Exciting? This sucks." The blonde muttered, following her with Yamino close behind.

"Miss Mayura, are you sure you have enough information?"

"Yep!" Mayura replied. "But I'll need to see Suzuka again before the evening is over."

Loki led them a few blocks away from Suzuka's house to his brother's shrine.

"Are you home?" Loki asked, stepping inside the house beside the temple itself.

"Loki..." A white-haired man said from his position chopping carrots in the kitchen. "Is this a girlfriend I see? And her brother? How nice to meet yo-"

"She's a detective." The younger brother interrupted. "Odin, I'm worried about you, so I asked her to come. Maybe she can solve the mystery of Kaoru's death. She doesn't seem competent, but she has to stay in business somehow." He added with a dark glance at said detective.

Yamino sighed heavily.

"I'm Mayura Daidouji!" The pink-haired girl said, ignoring Loki's words as she approached the eldest Kamiya. She took his hand and shook it rapidly, blinking as she realized something. "Are you and your brother named after the Norse gods?" She asked.

Odin blinked at her, releasing her hand. "Yes...how'd you know? Our parents were very into the legends."

"I love mythology. Though I prefer Greek." Mayura winked.

"I see..." Odin said uncertainly. "Have you gathered any clues yet?"

"I just need to see your ring and the mystery will be solved. You, Loki, and Suzuka will have to come with me to look at it, though." The detective responded, holding out a hand. "In the moonlight under your sakura tree." She added darkly.

"Why...?" Loki asked, sharing a look with his brother.

"I'm going to summon the ghost of Kaoru, Suzuka's sister. And bring this mystery to a close." She was still holding out her hand.

"How are you going to summon the ghost?" Loki asked with a frown, realizing that he had hired a crazy woman.

"If you want the answer to that mystery, then hand over the ring and let Yamino fetch Suzuka. It's almost dark and we can begin within an hour. I know it seems silly, but you have nothing to lose...right?" Mayura asked with a genuine smile.

The brothers exchanged glances and Odin dropped the ruby ring into her hand.

"I'll go get her right away, Miss Mayura." Yamino said quietly and walked out the door.

"C'mon, Loki and Mr. Kamiya! We have to go set up too." Mayura led them outside to the grand tree with pink leaves and began to remove the petals from the ground...

_Thus ends the second part of the first case! What will Mayura summon? Who is Mayura? (Hint: story summary)_

_Will Loki find out her secret? Can she actually solve the mystery? And most importantly, who are the other gods...? Keep reading for more answers! In two chapters, you'll meet Narugami! Guess which god he will be in your reviews!_


	4. III: Envy

Warnings: Bad narration, slight OOCness, AU, lack of spellcheck, etc...  
Note: I'm not in love with this chapter, to be honest. I don't do the battle scenes very well, but I've tried my best here and soon I'll be back to my crazy revelations. This is just a piece of the plot that has to be worked through. I appreciate your continuing support!

The Mythical Detective Mayura

III: Envy

"This is insane. Your girlfriend can't summon my sister."

Suzuka was standing under the cherry tree with her arms crossed. "You've lost it, Loki. You too." She glared accusingly at Odin who seemed to cower under her gaze. "Trusting this whackjob girl to ressurect the dead...it's absolutely crazy."

"Yeah, well, I can't disagree." Loki wasn't quite sure how to handle the situation. "But as Detective Daidouji said earlier, we don't have anything to lose by trying."

Yamino cleared his throat. "I assure you that Miss Mayura is a professional and can easily summon the ghost of Miss Kaoru. Just please be patient until she is ready."

"It's all right, I'm ready now." Mayura said, giving him a grateful smile and facing the others, assembled in a circle beside the tree.

Dark had fallen, and the moon glittered through the thick flowers of the sakura tree. Silver strands of light fell with pink petals around them.

Taking the ruby ring and placing it on the ground before Suzuka, Mayura began to chant something in a language unknown to the others. She finished her speech and looked around with a frown.

"Mou, nothing happened." She pouted. "I thought for sure it would've work--"

She was interrupted as the ring let out an intense light, blinding the group temporarily. When it faded, Odin was unconscious on the ground and a blue-haired girl stood before Suzuka.

"Kaoru...you're..." Suzuka stared at her sister, shocked. "How?"

Noticing the priest's position on the ground, Loki turned to Mayura. "What happened to my brother?"

The detective glanced up at him. "The spirit needed living energy to arrive on Earth. She just took a few minutes' worth from your brother."

"Suzuka...you...you killed me!" Kaoru shouted, and her form began to distort into a horrible, hideous beast with fangs protruding from a huge mouth. "You couldn't let me have him, could you?" She hissed.

"W-what? I don't know what you're talking about!" Suzuka said, backing away.

"You killed me..." The spirit repeated, edging closer to Suzuka.

Loki watched in horror. "What the hell is going on? What is that?"

Mayura did not answer.

"N-no, no, no! I'd never...I loved..." Suzuka stuttered, walking into the tree. She stopped at that point, paralyzed by fear and backed into a corner.

The beast that was once her sister was not sympathetic. "Tell him what really happened. Tell him that I was smarter, prettier, and kinder...and that you were so jealous...that you strived to get him, get the one boy I couldn't, and then you tormented me about him!"

Suzuka was shaking her head, sobbing as she denied everything.

"You _pushed me!_" Kaoru hissed, long claws nearing Suzuka. "You murdered me then blamed it on him...on the boy I adored...you sadistic fool. You pushed me off the roof!"

"Kaoru, I didn't mean to!" The purple-haired girl wailed. "I just made a mistake! I didn't mean to push you...I don't know what came over me! I wasn't thinking! I'm sorry, please don't hurt me, please don't kill me. Look what a monster you've become!"

Tears ran down her face, and from her expression and tone, Loki could tell that the woman before him was only concerned with her own safety. Her sister had never mattered. Suzuka cared only about herself and had placed the blame on his brother in an attempt to clear her own name. Kaoru was never suicidal, she was a victim of murder. "Detective, please save me from her! Save me from the beast! It isn't Kaoru!" She begged, gasping for air. "She's some horrible, hideous monster!"

The creature growled at her and swung a great claw at her face but Suzuka did not feel it hit.

Blocking the claws with a long silver staff, Mayura had no pity in her eyes.

"The only monster here is you."

With these words, Suzuka fell to her knees and stared up at the detective.

"You killed your sister because of jealousy. Then you stole the boy she loved as further revenge. Then to rid yourself of guilt, you blamed him." Mayura summarized. "You are a monster, Suzuka. You're full of evil and cruelty. This is not your sister's spirit--it is your guilt's."

Suzuka gasped in horror as the monster was sucked back into the ring. "No, it can't be because those are lies and I would never--"

Mayura turned her staff to Suzuka. "And I, Athena of Olympus, will remove your sin. Suzuka, thy sin's name is envy!"

A green, shapeless figure emerged from Suzuka's mouth and rose above the pink-haired detective. It groaned and Mayura's only reply was a swipe of her staff through the monster's stomach.

The blob vanished and Suzuka struggled for breath. "I-I'm sorry, Kaoru." She whispered, passing out and surrending her memories.

"Suzuka will need to be arrested!" Mayura said cheerfully, turning to Yamino. "She'll confess." She added. "I've removed the demon within her but she's still a killer."

The green-haired man nodded and shuffled into the shrinehouse to call the police.

Mayura let out a relieved sigh before remembering something--rather, someone.

"What are you?"

Oh, how short her relationship with the bishonen had been. Unless...

Turning to the blonde, the goddess smiled. "Can you keep a secret?"

Loki glanced at her. A pretty, ditzy detective with magical powers was willing to tell him her secret. Sure she was insane, but here it was--his chance for adventure. Was he willing to leave behind his mundane life for a life of excitement and wonder? Would he regret leaving behind normalcy? And what guarantee did he have that he could participate in her adventures? Would he just be left behind?

Then he had an idea. A way to keep an eye on this strange, unusual, marvelous detective. A way to ensure that he would get his adventure.

"Yes." He finally said, meeting her eyes. "I can...if you'll let me be your assistant detective."

"Kyaa! That'd be wonderful!" Mayura pounced on him with a hug. "A beautiful woman detective with her bishonen male assistant...it's perfect. Yamino will be excited!"

He felt the words "regular", "normal", and "average" slipping away. But she hadn't answered his question.

"Who...?"

"I am Mayura Daidouji. At least in your realm, I am. I am really Athena, the goddess of wisdom descended from Olympus. I've been banished. But you can call me Detective Mayura." She winked.

**X X X X**

:3

Next time: Yamino explains the situation to Loki and we meet Loki's classmates...including that mysterious new student, Narugami Tohru!


	5. IV: Watson

The Mythical Detective Mayura

IV: Watson

"I can't believe it." Loki muttered, watching the pink-haired girl roam around the sunny garden of her mansion a few days later. "This is the goddess of wisdom?"

"Well..." Yamino didn't know how to answer the new assistant's question. "Miss Mayura isn't exactly intelligent, she just has random bursts of pure wit and wisdom."

"In other words, she's a moron but sometimes says smart things?" Loki asked, watching the detective accidentally run into a tree while trying to catch a butterfly.

"Um..." Again, Yamino had no idea how to answer that. "Kamiya-san, didn't you see her magic? Isn't that proof enough?"

"I saw it. I guess I do believe it...even though it's totally wrecking my belief system." Loki muttered as Mayura ran over to the pair.

"Okay!" She announced, sitting at the picnic table across from Loki, "I have a question for you."

He raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"Other than me, who is your favorite Greek god or goddess?" Mayura asked excitedly.

"I heard Artemis was quite the lady." Loki grinned, not even considering. "Or Aphrodite..."

The pink-haired goddess' cheeks puffed up. "Aphy is a meanie butt who only cares about her hair, and Artemis likes women!"

"Oh...what?!" Loki snapped to attention. "Seriously?"

"She always seduces them. Apollo yells at her because she manages to find more than he does. The legends make her out to be a feminist, but she acts like a boy." Mayura said calmly, as if this were completely normal. "She actually admires men."

"I definitely didn't expect that. And wait, these gods are trying to kill you...?" She had explained everything earlier, but Loki couldn't remember the details.

Mayura gave him a single nod. "Yes, they are..." She said sadly.

"Because Hades took over Olympus." Loki tried to remember the details.

"Well..." Mayura sighed and tried to explain...

_The tall, frightening man took the throne and glared down at the formerly superior gods. "Bow." He ordered, and watched as his brother Zeus bowed. Hera, queen of the gods, followed. _

_Watching from afar, the beautiful Artemis turned to her elder sister. "Athena, you have to run."_

_"What?" The youthful looking goddess blinked in confusion. "You want me to leave you?"_

_Artemis' twin, Apollo, nodded. "You have to. We'll try to follow, but Hades intends to control the minds of everyone on Olympus. You can escape."_

_"Why can't we all?" Athena asked, glancing between the two. "We can all run away or we could all fight him--"_

_"You're the only one who can resist his mind powers. As the goddess of wisdom, you are able to block out his new mind control techniques. But I'm the goddess of the moon, and he's the god of the sun. We just can't do that." Artemis explained. "Your brain is stronger. Although sometimes it's hard to tell..."_

_Ignoring that, the pink-haired goddess turned to Apollo. "But I've never been to Earth! What if it's terrible? How will I live there?"_

_"Take your loyal one." Artemis advised. _

_"Take...?" Athena frowned, not sure what her sister meant._

_"Y'know, the one who rules over--"_

_"Artemis, she understands. Listen, sis, when we see you next, we may try to kill you. So could Ares, Aphy, Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hestia...so be careful. Go get ready to go, and we'll tell you when it's safe." Apollo interrupted._

_Athena looked down and nodded._

"Miss Mayura, let's not discuss the rest." Yamino advised her, and she blinked, unaware of how much she had told Loki.

"Sorry. This must be difficult to take." He said to Loki.

"No, it's fine. I'm the one who wanted an adventure." Loki muttered.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing..."

X

"That's...odd." Koutarou said, blinking at Loki with a look of pure confusion. "You met a gorgeous ditz and are now her assistant detective?"

"I'm the one who wanted to do it." The darker blonde answered, frowning at his friend. Loki had only transferred to this academy a few months ago, but already he felt close to Koutarou. They shared many traits...

"Think she can solve the school's latest mystery?" Koutarou chuckled.

Loki blinked. "Which one?"

"There's apparently a ghost who hovers here at night, possessing whomever he finds. He comes to school wearing that student's form, determined to hunt down the body that it most like his own. When he finds a suitable body, he will keep it. Forever. Scary, I suppose. Fake." His friend explained.

"Don't mention it to Mayura." Loki deadpanned.

"We have a new student, despite it being so late in the year." The teacher beamed. "Here is Mr. Narugami!" She shoved a slightly annoyed brunette boy into the room.

"I like justice and the education system. And hard work." The boy said with a bow.

"Weirdo..." Loki heard Koutarou mutter.

"Take a seat by the blondes." The teacher suggested, and Koutarou moved aside so Narugami could take a seat between him and Loki.

Narugami glared at Koutarou as he sat down, and the rich boy frowned at him in turn.

Loki decided that Koutarou was indeed correct--after all, who glared at a stranger?

As the day progressed, Loki felt no better about his new classmate. The boy had a tendency to mutter to himself, take assignments WAY too seriously, and kept tapping his fingers, as if bored.

When the bell rang at the end of the day, Narugami fled the school. Koutarou waited for Loki and the pair headed outside.

"What a lunatic. Did you hear him muttering about how he had things to do?" Koutarou grumbled.

Loki nodded. "That was weird, wasn't it? I wonder if the detective will want to investigate. Maybe I just won't tell her about it."

"Tell me about what?" Mayura asked, appearing out of nowhere.

Loki jumped and nearly hit a tree. "Mayura! Where'd you...?" Oh, she was a goddess. She probably could appear out of thin air...

"This must be the detective. I'm Koutaro--" His best friend used his ladykiller smile with Mayura, but was interrupted.

"I'm Daidouji Mayura!" Mayura gave him a huge bow then looked at Loki expectantly. She wondered if she was doing the correct cultural gesture...

He just nodded.

Koutarou smiled. "Well, I'll let you explain the mysterious new student to the detective, Loki. See you." He waved and wandered off, unable to hide a smirk.

"Jerk..." Loki muttered as Koutarou left him with the mystery geek detective.

"Fushigi mystery! A new student?"

"His last name's Narugami. We didn't get his first. He mutters to himself and is generally weird." Loki answered with a frown. "But you don't need to investi--"

"What if it's my brother? Apollo? Or my dad, in disguise?"

"Mayura, this isn't a god." Loki rolled his eyes. "He looks normal."

Mayura blinked. "Don't I?"

He frowned. "Well--"

"Excuse me!" Narugami ran by, pulling a noodle cart. "Noodle express coming through!"

Both sweat-dropped.

"That's him?"

"Yes..."

Mayura smiled. "Let's investigate, then!"

X

Know who Narugami is here? I'll give you this hint...I originally had him as one god but changed my mind while writing. It's someone you've definitely heard of, but maybe you won't think of him immediately? There were a few hints in this chapter...

Next time: Narugami revealed!


	6. V: Ghost

Warnings: OOCness, lack of spellcheck, etc.

The Mythical Detective Mayura

V: Ghost

"We lost him, detective." Loki muttered, leaning against a fence as he tried to catch his breath. They had been chasing Narugami for over an hour and the energetic boy had finally worn them out too much. He was out of sight.

"Mou...that stinks!" Mayura frowned, tapping her chin. "What should we do now?"

"Go home. My brother's probably in tears with worry by now." Loki replied, looking bored.

"No, no, no! We have to solve the mystery. My brother promised that he would come meet me here. Maybe it's Apollo. He's weird." Mayura said, tearing up. "I miss them so much..."

Damn, she was crying. Loki sighed and approached the short goddess. "Detective, just calm down. You'll find them eventually. We don't have to investigate all the weirdos in my class. They'll come to you, right? They'll come tell you that they've escaped?"

Mayura sniffed and nodded. "Unless Hades has them under his control...then I'll have to break the spell before they kill me."

Loki sweat-dropped. "Um...you're kidding, right?"

She opened her mouth to reply but shook her head instead. "No, I'm not."

"Which sibling is this again...?" Loki asked, scratching his head. "The god of war?"

"The ones I know are on my side are Apollo and Artemis. They're twins, although they might not appear that way here." Mayura said softly, glancing at the fence they were leaning against. "Mou, I really miss my peaceful life on Olympus. I don't understand why Hades did this to us."

Loki frowned, not sure how to answer that. "Well, detective--"

"Mayura." She corrected. "I've decided to call myself that in your realm, so you should call me it too!" She gave him a tiny smile.

The blonde rolled his eyes. "Mayura, at least you're not alone."

"Right! Yamino is there for me." The detective answered, eyes burning with determination.

"Apparently you have your bishonen assistant too." Loki said, remembering what she had called him. "Although there is no way I can fight anything supernatural. Wait, do creatures like unicorns and nymphs exist too? What about mermaids?"

Mayura seemed perplexed by the question. "Of course they exist, silly! Why wouldn't they?"

"Never mind...so everyone in Greek mythology is real?" He asked, still trying to wrap his head around everything.

"Mmhmm! Maybe you'll meet them! Anyone you admire?"

"You've already broken my heart with the news that Aphrodite and Artemis like women."

"I didn't say that." Mayura replied. "Artemis likes women, Aphy likes HERSELF!"

The teenager sighed. "Great. Hey, if they're hypnotized, can you defeat them?"

Mayura blinked at him for a moment, opening her mouth to reply, but the sound of thunder forced her to move away from the fence.

"Were you following me?" Narugami asked, returning to the area with his wooden sword in one hand. "Sorry, I already returned the cart so you can't buy any noodles." He smiled sympathetically.

The goddess erupted into a smile as soon as he finished talking. "Aw, too bad. We'll just have to get some tomorrow, right, Loki? Bye, Narugami!" She took Loki's hand and began to walk away.

"Hey, I'll have a stand with them at the club festival tomorrow! Maybe you could stop by." Narugami suggested. "I heard visitors are allowed to come. Unless you go to our school too..." He had apparently recognized Loki from class.

Instead of replying, the pair walked away.

Until the festival...

X

"Lokiiiii! My PRINCE! Join the tennis club!"

"Kyaa! You should sign up for cooking! We could use a strong man to help us mix."

"L-l-loki, w-would you j-join the anime club?"

"Mr. Kamiya, we want to see you in trunks! Join the swim team, please!"

"There you are! I couldn't find this place very easily." The cute girl practically attacked THEIR prince's arm and hooked onto it.

"You were here yesterday..." The glittery prince replied, looking down at her.

"WHO IS SHE?" The crowd of girls roared as Mayura looked around the festival.

"Mortal girls are very strange. Do they all growl at newcomers?" Mayura blinked. "I always heard that they gave newcomers chocolate!"

"That's not...no..." Loki sweat-dropped, unable to explain Valentine's Day to her right now. "Why did you come anyway, detective?"

Sick of correcting him, Mayura ignored the title. "I think I've met Narugami before! He seemed very familiar."

"How can he be a god? Look, he's cooking noodles." Loki gestured to the noodle booth nearby, hired by the kendo club. Narugami was eagerly flipping noodles.

"He's strong!" Mayura commented.

The blonde rolled his eyes. "Mayura, he's normal, I'm telling you. Now Koutarou you should worry about..."

Said friend was approaching. "Hello again, Miss Detective. Still hanging onto Loki? Finally, he's settled down." The boy grinned madly.

"We're not dating." Loki answered, taking his arm away from Mayura's grip. The girl's eyes watered in turn.

"You broke her heart." Koutarou chuckled. "Don't worry, detective, he likes you quite a bit. Have you investigated Narugami yet?"

"A little." Mayura answered, forgetting about Loki. "I think he may be someone I know from my home country."

Koutarou frowned at her. "What's your home country?"

"Olympiandersvilletownecentrecitince." Mayura said casually, as if this country truly existed.

Koutarou and Loki both stared. "Well then," Koutarou cleared his throat. "I'll be seeing you later, detective. Ask Loki to show you the mystery of the ghost." He walked away, a little baffled.

"Sorry, you're a bit too much for him. He'd rather flirt with the girls." Loki said, ruffling her hair. Indeed, the fangirls had moved onto Koutarou now.

"Ghost?" Mayura's eyes were glittering. "A new, wonderful, mysterious mystery? Show me, Loki! Please?"

He sighed. Damn that Koutarou.

X

"There's not much to tell." Loki said later in an empty classroom. Mayura was sitting on a desk and he was pacing. "There are different versions of a school ghost story. It's lame."

"Tell me two or three then!" She said excitedly.

He sighed and began the first version, the one Koutarou had suggested Mayura solve.

"A ghost possesses people who stumble into the school at night, skipping through bodies until he finds the one he desires most. Then he'll keep it and the spirit inside will just die."

"Sounds boring! Next."

Sigh #2.

"Well, the other legend says that a student who died here years ago is haunting the school. He murdered a teacher and now takes over the form of anyone who hates a teacher. He controls them and forces them to do the same murder-suicide. Not much evidence for that."

"Interesting, but not what I want to hear. Next, Loki, next!"

#3.

"The old armor of a knight is kept in a history room here, and it is said that his spirit roams the halls at night. And the suit of armor...it vanishes. Some people say it's searching for something. People have seen it searching through files and photos, yearbooks and phonebooks."

"Who is it searching for?" Mayura asked seriously.

"I don't know. Sounds like another legend to me." He shrugged. "A sempai says it was in this classroom two nights ago. I think that's silly."

"Why would it be here? At a school?" She asked herself. "Loki, close the shutters and lock the door."

He frowned. "What?"

"Do it."

He obeyed and walked back over to her. "What are we doing?"

"Summoning a ghost." Mayura answered, waving a hand and stating some words in a language he didn't recognize.

A white spirit appeared, taking on the form of a boy wearing glasses. "W-who are you? Can you see me?" He asked nervously.

"You're the real ghost of the school, right?" She asked. "I've been sensing you in here and it explains where the first rumors came from. Who are you?"

"I-I was dating my sensei." He whispered, looking around. "About fifty years ago. My classmate found out and killed both of us in here out of jealousy. She liked me all along, but Maki-sensei and I knew each other since we were kids! She lived next door." He explained sadly.

"Have you been attacking students?"

"No, I've been watching them. I always wanted to finish school. Plus, sensei's ghost is around here somewhere. She only comes out at night." The ghost replied, tapping his fingers together. "But we also have a third ghost."

Loki stared at the ghost, a little disturbed by this whole thing.

"He hides in that suit of armor, uses it as a corporeal form." The ghost boy continued. "He usually walks around looking for records on his great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandchildren, but lately the suit of armor has been possessed by something else. There's this new sword it's using too. It's been looking through pictures. It looks at the seats...I think it wants spiritual residue or something."

Calmly, Mayura continued questioning him. "Has it found anything?"

The ghost pointed to Loki's seat and Narugami's. "It likes those seats there."

"It's after me, then." She sighed. "Loki, you have some of my spiritual residue on you because you know who I am. Thank you, Mister Ghost. If you need any help, let Loki know!" She gave the ghost a huge smile.

The ghost gulped and nodded, vanishing.

"So what does this mean?" Loki asked her, almost afraid of the answer.

"Narugami is one of us. And he has apparently summoned an evil sword to hunt me down. He just didn't count on me coming after him." She giggled.

"What do we do?" He asked, a bead of sweat running down his cheek.

"Hunt him instead." She said, red eyes glittering with dark intentions.

**X X X**

I'm going to try to update this weekly from now on but my speed really depends on your reviews...ifyaknowwhatImean. (I usually update after 5-6 reviews) (: Sorry about Mayura & Loki's OOCness, in this story it's necessary.

I know I promised Narugami in this chapter but I already had a larger-than-usual chapter and thought you wouldn't mind waiting a week. What do you think of this investigation? Have you thought of anyone else Narugami might be? Do you like Kou-kun's position in this? XD

Next chapter: We HONESTLY find out Narugami's identity. It's in the next "X" block. :D I hope you'll stick around!


	7. VI: Sword

Warnings: OOCness, lack of spellcheck, AUness (okay, the usual warnings)  
Notes: Well, Narugami is finally revealed! I have lots of news for you guys so I hope you'll read the author notes at the end of this chapter.

The Mythical Detective Mayura

VI: Sword

"I cannot believe I'm doing this. Detective, what are you thinking?"

This was just sad. He was in school at night, walking through it in the dark to help the detective discover Narugami's identity. Why was it sad? Well, because he was scared.

Really, really scared. He had no clue what to expect.

"I hope she knows what she's doing." He added, brushing a hand through his hair. "So far I haven't seen anything. Wait, she said to try the roof." He found the staircase and switched his flashlight's beams onto the steps. Slowly the teen headed up to the rooftop.

There the combination of moonlight and tall lamps kept the roof bright. He saw a sword on the ground--that evil sword, maybe?

He reached out and took it in his hand.

"Loki, release that sword! It's evil." Mayura said, walking up the staircase behind him. "Mou, Loki, please let it go!"

Loki's eyes glowed and he slashed her with the sword, narrowly missing. A strand of pink hair fell to the ground: he hadn't missed everything.

Mayura frowned. "Nooo, if I fight you I might hurt your face! I can't ruin the bishonen!" She whined but Loki swiped at her again, cutting her leg.

She held out a hand, narrowing her eyes. Her staff appeared and she gripped it. "Fine, Loki, I'll save you from the possession! You too!" She said, pointing at Narugami, who was watching from the other end of the rooftop.

"I'm not being controlled." He said darkly, eyes shining red.

"Yes you are! I know you, and you are definitely being controll--eep!" She blocked Loki's latest attack with her staff. "I'll release you both! First, my bishonen assistant must be saved!" She bonked Loki on the head with her staff and he dropped the sword.

He blinked at her, confused. "What just happened?"

"Forget that. I have to stop him now! Don't touch the sword!" Mayura said, running towards Narugami with her staff. He blocked it with his wooden sword.

"Athena, Hades wants you dead. I'm not one to disobey a god as powerful as he." Narugami said, eyes still glowing red.

"This isn't you! You're being controlled." Mayura repeated. "You love disobeying him! You hate him! He's a jerk, so I totally don't blame you--stop attacking." She tapped his wrist lightly with her staff, hoping he would release his sword. He did not.

She frowned, eyebrows creasing together. "What would your mother think?" She asked and his eyes briefly changed to their normal shade before becoming red again.

"It doesn't matter what she thinks! Hades wants her dead too." He answered, striking Mayura's arm and forcing her staff to fly across the rooftop.

The pink-haired girl glanced up at him, unsure of what to do now. "But you don't. You love her. She's your mother."

"Athena, you must die." Narugami answered, sweating as he launched an attack at the defenseless goddess' chest.

His sword was knocked from his hands by Mayura's staff. Loki had picked it up and thrown it like a javelin. "Detective, take your staff! Quickly. Break his spell or whatever."

She nodded, picking it up. "Lion, hydra, hind, boar, horse, bird, bull, mares, girdle, cattle, apples, Cerberus. Break the spell of Hades and unlock the trapped memories!" She smacked Narugami with the staff, which glowed a bright pink. The god fell to the ground.

Loki sweat-dropped. "What on earth are you talking about? Detective, did you just knock him out?"

"No, he's back." Mayura said as Narugami stood up again, looking more colorful and less possessed.

"Athena. Sorry." He said, rubbing his head as he picked his sword up. "Don't forget the sword--" He said, eyes widening as said item flew at Mayura.

He swung his wooden sword at the magical one with surprising strength, shattering the evil sword into tiny bits.

"Nevermind." He said, glancing back at her.

Mayura smiled. "Thank you, baby brother. Nyaa, told you so, Loki!" She stuck out her tongue at her assistant.

In awe, the blonde glanced at Narugami. "He's Apollo?"

"You can't tell from the words I used to bring back his memories? The twelve labors?" Mayura asked, blinking at him.

"Twelve labors..." Loki frowned. "Like..." His eyes widened and he stared at Narugami. "You're Hercules?!"

Narugami glared at him then turned to Mayura. "Are all mortals like this? Can I go back to Olympus now?"

"Yes, and no. Hades took control of you once--he could do it again. Plus, I don't know how to get back!" She giggled in reply.

"I'm stuck here?" Narugami asked, eyes drooping.

"Yeah! But you can be another assistant detect--"

"Do you ask everyone to be your assistant!?"

"Eh...well you asked me, actually..."

"No thanks, sis, I have this great part time job already! It's great, and it has health benefits! Hey, you should stop by and spend money there!"

"Sure! Except Loki's broke." Mayura said sadly.

"Have you seen Artemis or Apollo? What about Aphy? Or our father?" Narugami asked with a frown. "Although I don't want to see the old man..."

She shook her head. "I haven't seen any of them."

"Weird...I thought..." Narugami frowned before sighing. "Never mind."

X

"Athena, my sister, this happiness of yours will soon die." The purple-haired man said, looking into the globe. "I will focus all my hate on _you!_"

X

Mayura awoke with a start, drenched in sweat. She rubbed her forehead, looking around. What was that vision...?

She had saved her brother Hercules today but Apollo, Artemis, Aphy, and the others were still missing. She was so scared for them--why weren't they in the human realm yet?

She drew her covers closer and curled into a ball, trying to drift back to sleep.

**X X X**

Narugami was supposed to be Apollo in the original outline, but isn't he so perfect for Heracles/Hercules? I'm going with the Roman spelling (Hercules) despite the rest of the Greek names in this because I find it more recognizable than the other version.

I suppose you know now that "Heimdall" will be the next to attack. But do you know who he is in this AU?

Although I adore this fic, my weekly updates are going to remain a bit short because I'm not currently working on it. I'm almost done with All Out Assassin Attack (please go check that out if you haven't already) and really want to finish it while I'm inspired to do so. But don't fret, this fic WILL be updated and completed...just with shorter chapters. (: Thank you for your loyalty!

Next chapter: Mayura has a cold, and the group goes to a zoo to solve a case. But when "Heimdall" attacks, they find themselves in...Rome?


	8. VII: War

Warnings: OOCness, AUness (if you haven't noticed...), lack of spellcheck (ah, the pains of using Wordpad), etc.  
Notes: Though this is basically Heimdall, I've chosen to use "Ares" in reference to him. The naming system will vary depending on which god I'm talking about. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! Be sure to have read the story thus far before trying this chapter out. Posted 8/7/08!

The Mythical Detective Mayura

VII: War

"Ares, what do you propose to do to her?" The woman with flowing pink hair asked, glasses glimmering in the light of the globe. "Haunting nightmares is hardly your style."

The purple-haired man growled at her viciously, turning away from his looking glass to stare into her face. "Eris, you know nothing of politics. Athena and I have been fighting for centuries. I want her dead! I don't care what I have to do to her."

The woman shrugged in response. "Doesn't sound like politics to me."

"Then you've never met a politician." He replied, showing her his back.

X

Loki sighed, opening the agency's door. "Detective, any cases?" He called out, entering and heading upstairs to the study.

"Achoo!" Mayura replied from behind her desk. "Sowy," she mumbled, "I hab a cob."

"A cold..." Loki translated for himself and sighed. "Goddesses can get colds?"

"Indeed." Yamino nodded sadly.

"Well," Loki made a grand gesture of sitting on the couch. "That's too bad, because I have a case for you...a big one."

Mayura snapped to attention immediately. "Yeah?"

"Apparently there are issues at the zoo. The birds have been acting strange...they've been attacking each other. Breaking out of their cages to do it." Loki explained, frowning. "The keeper I talked to said it's mostly the doves and the hawks, but yesterday the situation worsened. The cages were all blown open by some explosions, and the animals escaped."

"Did they get them back in?" Yamino asked, concerned.

The blonde nodded. "Yeah, most. They got the more tropical birds but they didn't recover the hawks or doves. Most of the other animals are back too, except a lion is still missing."

Mayura frowned. "A kibby?" She sniffed.

"No, not a kitty." Loki sighed. "Lions are very dangerous. And this one...he's not known for being gentle."

Mayura glanced at him, considering. "Okab, lebs go look around da zoo for clues first."

He stared back. "Do you think this is supernatural?"

She sneezed in response.

X

"That's mysterious..." Mayura said seriously, staring at the shattered glass that surrounded the lion's former cage. "Glass walls broken by the lions...if they were capable of this all along, why did the wait until now to escape?" She wondered.

Loki shrugged before noticing something. "Your cold...?"

"Lots of medicine! My special recipe, made with ingredients ordered from America and Brazil." Yamino chimed in, watching as Mayura entered the exhibit. The zookeeper who had let them in watched uncertainly as Yamino followed the detective.

"Wait, tantei--" Loki glanced back at the zookeeper before running behind the two into the exhibit.

The other lions were somewhere else temporarily, leaving the model of an African plane empty. It was almost frightening, especially considering the exhibit's size.

He felt stranded--it was hard to imagine that civilization was only a few yards away. That this was inside a zoo...

Mayura stopped before two trees that seemed intertwined at their branches. She nodded at Loki and Yamino before stepping between them, and she vanished.

Loki would have been more surprised two days ago, but nothing about the detective surprised him anymore.

He took a deep breath and passed through as well, emerging in...

Greece?

Were they in a colosseum?

He looked around the strange white building and deduced that they were indeed in a colosseum, in the very center, on the battle grounds.

Hawks hovered over the colosseum like vultures over a corpse. Something was wrong here.

"Detective..." He whispered.

"Mayura!" She corrected, crossing her arms and pouting.

"Mayura," he gritted his teeth, "where are we?"

"In the colosseum, of course." A new, deep voice arrived, carrying an air of pride and hatred for its target.

Loki and Mayura turned to look up at the seat where kings traditionally sat. Sitting on the throne was a tall man with short purple hair and red eyes.

Mayura glared at him. "Ares, are you here to kill me too?"

"I'm here to challenge you." he replied, floating off the platform and landing a few yards away. "To a battle of swords. Certainly you can handle a swordfight on horseback."

"I don't have a horse." Mayura replied. "Even if I did, why would I want to fight you?"

"Because you and I are two halves of a whole." He answered, appearing much closer to her. She stepped back to avoid hitting his nose with hers. "Just like Artemis governs the moon and Apollo governs the sun, you govern peace while I prefer war. We are destined to eternally battle."

"Don't compare us to the twins." She moved closer to the nervous Loki. "I despise you more than Artemis could ever hate Apollo. I won't fight you."

Ares chuckled, swinging an arm in the air. "Yes, you will. Or your precious mortal will forever remain a horse."

"What?" Mayura turned around and shrieked. In Loki's place was a yellow horse with a shiny mane and annoyed eyes.

"Oh my gosh! Loki, I am so sorry! Mou, Ares, you'll pay for harming my assistant detective." Her staff appeared and she rushed at her brother, who stopped her with a red sword.

Smirking darkly, he aimed for her foot but missed. "This sword is covered in mortal blood. Beautiful, isn't she?"

Thrusting her silver staff at the god of war, Mayura began to cry as she realized how heartless her brother was. "How can you be so cruel? Ares!" She swung her staff insanely, but he blocked every attempted blow.

"Athena, you are such a fool." He whispered, leaning in close to her face as their weapons locked. "You think I am the only one hunting you? Hades has killed Zeus, killed Artemis and banished Apollo. Everyone else will come down to kill you--an entire pantheon of gods awaits your death! You shall never find peace, even if that is your domain." The purple-haired god laughed at her, his head rolling back.

Still crying, she drew her staff away and he stopped, wondering what would come next.

Bent over, Mayura sobbed softly and dropped her staff. It vanished as it touched the ground. "Ares..." She muttered, clenching a fist.

"Yes, Athena, my dear sister? Ready to give up? You can't beat me. You aren't strong enough. In fact, you barely qualify as a goddess. Your wisdom comes and goes, and you remain in that weak young form despite centuries of life. Why don't you just die and let me have my fun?"

A hawk swooped dangerously close to her face, talons extended.

She ignored it but another flew down, scratching her cheek.

"You're wrong." Mayura said, standing up.

Ares smirked. "No weapon, crying and lying to yourself. Can you fall any more, Athena? I don't think it would be possible."

"I'm not weak, I'm not foolish. I'm not the smartest detective ever, but I'm a detective all the same." She held a hand out before her and a silver sword rose from the ground, stopping as its handle reached her hand.

He began to frown. Where had this confidence come from? A detective? What was she talking about? "You fool...you honestly think you can defeat the god of war! You're the goddess of peace, Athena."

Mayura smiled, pointing the sword at him and shifting her feet to an offensive position. "As I said, you're wrong." She began to attack with her sword. "I happen to govern over war, not peace. I just prefer smarter war, unlike your brutal fighting."

She nearly hit him multiple times with her blade, but he narrowly dodged most lunges.

Ares drew back, realizing his mistake, but an owl appeared and came down from the sky, hitting the back of his knees and forcing him to fall to the ground.

"Ares!" Mayura announced, throwing the sword into the air and watching it spin. It transformed into her staff and she held an arm out to catch it...

And missed.

Sweat-dropping, she picked her staff up from the ground and held it above his head. "Ares, you have no compassion for mortals. You've become a heartless beast and general jerk! I, Detective Mayura Daidouji, shall free you from your sin! Ares, thy sin's name--"

He vanished before she could announce it. Loki turned back into a human and ran to the detective, who fell to her knees.

"I couldn't purge his sin..." Mayura said with a sigh. "Ares is gone."

Loki shrugged. "At least I'm not a horse anymore. I think you did okay, detective."

She smiled slightly at him before realizing that her cheek was bleeding. "EEK! BLOOD!" She passed out on the ground and Loki sighed heavily...

Fortunately, the spell had broken and they were back in the zoo.

Yamino watched them arrive and picked Mayura up. He smiled sincerely at Loki. "While you two were gone, we found the lion. As soon as the cage is repaired, things will go back to normal."

Loki smiled slightly and ruffled Mayura's hair. "With this one? I'll never see normal again."

Yamino shrugged in response and they headed back to the agency.

**X X X**

Ah, the first appearance of Heimdall/Ares! Forgive any mistakes in the mythology, my sources tend to disagree on some points...also forgive my bad battle scenes. I'm not very good at them...;-; Anyway, I'll see you again in a week!

In case you're wondering the point of the cold, it should make you realize that gods/goddesses can get colds. More on that later.

Next chapter, a new character and a brotherly discussion:

"_I actually met a girl I'm quite fond of."_

_"Why didn't you tell me how many mortal girls were hotties? I could've been hanging out here for centuries!"_

__

"Apollo will come next."


	9. VIII: Truth

Warnings: OOCness, AUness (if you haven't noticed...), cursing, lack of spellcheck (ah, the pains of using Wordpad), etc.  
Notes: Please read my notes at the end! Thank you.

The Mythical Detective Mayura

VIII: Truth

"So are you still dating the crazy girl?" Odin asked cheerfully at breakfast the next day.

Loki glared at him. "I'm working for her. I'm not dating her."

His elder brother gave him a skeptical look. "Right. Sure..."

"I'm not." Loki insisted, dumping his dirty plate in the sink. "Are you dating anyone now?"

"Suzuka turned out to be a killer." Odin pointed out. "I'm not eager to begin dating again..."

"Four girls, huh?" Loki asked, fully aware of his brother's dating habits.

The white-haired man grinned. "Oh yeah. Ever interested in having a sister-in-law...?"

"Sure, but knowing you, I'll never see one." The blonde replied, walking away.

Glancing at a photo on a nearby end table, Odin smiled slightly. "Do you miss them?"

Loki frowned, understanding what his brother meant. "Mom and Dad left a long time ago. Why should I miss them?"

"They went to study medicine in America. They think they're changing the world." Odin said, almost sadly. "I guess they forgot about us, hm?"

His younger brother shook his head. "It doesn't matter. You're an adult, even if you don't act like one, and I'm nearly eighteen. We can handle ourselves."

The elder smiled, changing the subject. "I actually met a girl I'm quite fond of. I think I'll ask her to be my girlfriend. Interested in meeting her?"

Loki shrugged and headed to his room. He never believed his brother's words about women, since they were rarely the truth.

X

Mayura sighed in her den, sipping tea as she considered the previous day's events.

She had not been able to purge Ares' sin. She had failed. Now her brother would continue coming after her until she was dead.

Though, in all honesty, this was hardly unusual. Ares and Athena were in constant argument and shared a hatred, because each desired the same things. Their father's favor, military supremacy for their favorite cities, and to be known as the strongest god or goddess.

Unfortunately for Ares, Athena usually won.

Mayura almost laughed. Ares had probably _offered_ to kill her. Hades would not even need to ask!

The only question was...who else would come after her?

When gods or humans were voluntarily evil, she could name their sin and extract it. This was fairly easy--she just had to figure out the person in question's sin.

However, when possessed by someone (such as in Narugami's case), key words from the person's memories were the best way to destroy the spell.

What would she say for Artemis? Would Apollo come for her too? Aphrodite? Demeter? Poseidon?

Would Hades send giants? Nymphs? Would he send deceased heroes after her? Would Odysseus come to her with murder in mind?

He had _better_ not after that trip she'd helped him with.

Maybe it would be intelligent to consider those "key words" now, instead of on the battlefield.

"Apollo will come next."

She nearly jumped at the familiar voice. She turned to its source and gasped slightly. "Artemis...what happened to you?"

The woman before her seemed to be a ghost, or a hologram of some sort. It was quite mysterious, Mayura noted.

The goddess of the hunt had flowing brown hair, deep eyes, and a beauty that caught most men's breath. Unfortunately for them, the so-called virgin goddess was far more interested in women.

"The ass killed me." Artemis said, glaring up at the sky. "Like, a month ago. But I've been hanging around Earth, looking at the pretty mortal girls..." She began to drool slightly before narrowing her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me how many mortal girls were hotties? I could've been hanging out here for centuries!"

Mayura sweat-dropped at her sister's lack of concern for her own death.

"Mou, Artemis, you're a ghost?"

Artemis ended her rant about women and blinked at her sister. "Yeah. I guess...kind of. Oh, yeah, I did come to say something! Apollo was possessed right after Hades killed me. He gave up, I guess. You know how creepy he is with that sister crap."

The pink-haired girl sighed. "How do I stop him? Apollo is sinless, mostly, except for being...eh..."

"A moron? Remember when you left?" Artemis asked, narrowing her eyes at the memory.

Mayura sweat-dropped. Hm, she hadn't exactly told Loki the whole truth...she wanted him to think that the gods were mighty, intelligent beings...

__

The tall, frightening man took the throne and glared down at the formerly superior gods. "Bow." He ordered.

"I knew you would do this one day, damn it!" Zeus said, growling. "I won't bow."

Hera hissed at him and threw him to the ground. "Yes, you will! That's what you get for cheating, jerkoff. Can't I just kill him and help you take over?"

Slightly surprised by that act, but pleased, Hades considered it. "Why don't we just lock him up instead?"

Watching from afar, Artemis groaned. "Damn that old crone! She let us down. Athena, you should go to Earth for protection. One of us has to."

"Eh? Why don't you go?" Athena asked, confused.

"Because you're the only one with that purifying staff thing. Also, you know Earth customs from those bishonen-watching trips." Artemis was disgusted. "Plus, Earth smells awful. Too many men. You can go, we'd rather be here. He might not kill us right away, anyway."

Artemis' twin, Apollo, began to cry. "Let this one go too! Let this one go too!" He clung to Athena.

"No." Artemis said, crossing her arms. "Hades won't notice Athena missing for a while, but all three of us? We have to stay here and cover for her. Hades wants to take over everyone's minds, and he'll probably succeed. So at least with Athena, when we try to kill her she'll be able to get us back to normal."

"Why can't we all?" Athena asked, glancing between the two. "We can all run away or we could all fight him--"

"'Cause you have the staff!" Artemis said, exasperated. "Only you can use that thing, and without it, we don't have any mind blocks. We'll come after you to kill you eventually, but at least you'll have time to prepare this way."

Athena sighed. "But I can't cook or clean! How will I live alone?"

"Take the moron who's hiding over there." Artemis advised, pointing to the green-haired shape nearby.

Athena sweat-dropped. "Oh. Are you willing?"

The god nodded.

Apollo released Athena and began to cry. "Mine darling sister, the next time we meet, this one shall attempt to murder you. Please save me. Good luck." He went to cling to Artemis instead, who sighed in annoyance.

Mayura sighed. "Artemis, what words do I use to revive Apollo's memories?"

"Nothing will work on him. You can't use the twelve labors like you did on Herc. Apollo's way too dumb." Artemis said, crossing her arms. "He doesn't have any significant events. You could try things like 'sun' and 'sisters'."

"I need ten." Mayura said nervously. "They all have to invoke significant, individual memories. Words like 'sun' don't summon anything specific."

Artemis groaned, pacing now. "Crap." Then an idea dawned on her. "I know how to remove the spell Hades cast."

"How?" Mayura asked, curious as to what her sister had thought of.

"I need to go find something. I know it used to exist, but it may not anymore...I'll go look for it." The goddess of the hunt said. "I'll be back to help you. I promise I'll be back before Apollo kills you."

Mayura sweat-dropped. That wasn't reassuring.

"Good luck, sis." Artemis said, slightly distracted as she vanished.

The pink-haired detective sighed as the clock struck eleven. Was it that late already?

Apollo was going to attack tomorrow. No doubt about it. But how...?

A single white notecard floated to her through the open window. Written in black ink was the following:

"The ocean blinks often, does it not?

With the green grass beside.

Yet something is missing in between

I will steal what should reside.

On the 13th of the month I shall arrive at eleven,

-Kaitou Freyr"

Mayura blinked. A mystery thief? Her eyes lit up. Finally!

**X X X X**

Yep, ladies and gents, Freyr is Apollo in my fic! I hope this chapter didn't seem rushed, it wasn't meant to. I rather like this one, in fact. More filler is coming later... (:

As a side note, I haven't really been writing this fic lately. Since I completed _All Out Assassin Attack_, I've been a bit lazy. I'm 4-5 chapters ahead of you guys and I'm usually _eight_ ahead. So I'm not too thrilled...I do intend to finish this, but you'll have to deal with short chapters and some late updates for now. Still, your support is my inspiration so please review! I will try to keep my updates to about once a week (as I have been doing).

Thanks!

Next chapter preview: Freyr tries to steal the mysterious gem, and Mayura intends to stop him! The only problem is...can she find it first?

Posted 8/14!


	10. IX: Thief

Warnings: OOCness, AUness (if you haven't noticed...), cursing, lack of spellcheck (ah, the pains of using Wordpad), etc.  
Notes: Please read my notes at the end! Thank you.

The Mythical Detective Mayura

IX: Thief

Two days later, Loki was sitting inside a dull art museum surrounded by guards. "This sucks. How do we even know it's this museum the dumb thief will come to?"

Mayura crossed her arms, pacing around the bench inside the museum that Loki was sitting on. "The first part of the riddle refers to the Ocean's Eye, a beautiful sapphire. Right next to it is a new gemstone--called the Green Field. It's an emerald." She pointed to a photo on a map.

"Okay, so why aren't we there? We're on the floor above them." Loki said, not understanding the situation.

"What comes between the ocean and grass?"

"Sand." Yamino answered his mistress' question and Loki sweat-dropped.

"This stone is called the Sandy Shore, it's a nice topaz. It's on the upper floor because it was part of a donated collection." She pointed to a gem that every guard stood around.

"So this thief isn't going to go after the sapphire or the emerald?" Loki verified.

Mayura nodded. "Right."

Loki sighed. "Why did they allow us in here anyway?"

The pink-haired detective grinned. "I found the police chief's cat yesterday!"

Loki frowned, wondering if she had lost the cat in the first place.

The clock outside struck eleven, breaking his thoughts.

"Kaitou Freyr should be here." He noted, looking around. Nothing had happened.

"Hm..." Mayura frowned, considering. Was the thief late? Planning a surprise attack? Maybe he had changed his mind...?

Oh no.

She turned rapidly to a man with a beard--the museum's curator. "Sir! What stone was next to Ocean's Eye before Green Field arrived?"

"Just an old Greek ruby." The curator said. "Quite interesting because of its coloring--"

She rushed off before he could finish his sentence, running down the stairs.

Loki and Yamino exchanged glances, following her.

They arrived on the lower floor to see Mayura glaring at a tall, brunette man.

A tall brunette man who was currently holding a deep red ruby.

"This one knew you would come, Athena." Kaitou Freyr greeted.

"Apollo, why would you use the name of a Norse god? That's just silly!" Mayura said, apparently more concerned about his name than his arrival.

"Freyr is such a lovely name! Athena, you cannot deny this."

"Mou," Mayura frowned, "it is kind of nice."

"Detective!" Loki said, amazed that she was ignoring the fact that the thief was still in possession of his target.

Then it occurred to him that this was another god--she had said Apollo, right?

He groaned. This was _so_ weird.

"Give the stone back!" The goddess of wisdom said. "I'm a detective, I can't let you get away with this."

"The stone can be returned in exchange for your life." Freyr said, smiling as he rubbed the ruby. "Come and catch me if you wish to perish." He broke through the nearest window and jumped to a nearby roof.

Mayura sighed, holding out a hand. Her silver staff appeared and she gripped it. "Be careful, Loki. Care for him, please, Yamino."

With her staff in hand, she ran out the already-broken window and landed on the rooftop beside Apollo.

Loki watched her do this. "Will I ever be used to this?"

Yamino sweat-dropped.

**X X X X**

I know this chapter was short, which leads me to the poll of the chapter...

Would you prefer weekly short chapters or a longer chapter every other week?

I've made a little progress on this story but not enough. X.x Problem being that the current arc I'm writing is not one I'm actually thrilled about, but rather something I must get through. If there are any gods/goddesses you absolutely MUST see in this fic, you may want to mention him/her in a review because I probably won't get to everything that the anime/manga covers. The only definites (after this chapter) are Yamino, Aphrodite, Fenrir, and Artemis.

Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter...this fic's pace remains pretty constant (unlike AOAA) so I hope you're able to keep up (:

Next chapter: Mayura finishes fighting Freyr...and loses?!


	11. X: Apollo

Warnings: OOCness, semi-OCs, lack of spellcheck  
Notes: I'm diving right in so you should REALLY reread the previous chapter before starting this one. :)

The Mythical Detective Mayura

X: Apollo

A golden sword appeared in Freyr's hand and Mayura found herself defending against it.

The sounds of staff versus sword rang along the rooftops, but the museum guards hadn't noticed the commotion on the rooftop next door.

In fact, the world seemed empty except for the noise of the weapons.

Mayura aimed at Freyr's foot, but he turned around rapidly, throwing her off. She barely caught her balance.

He thrust the sword towards her head, removing a few strands of hair.

She began to cry. "H-how could you?!" She came at him with more force than ever, but he met her with equal strength.

"Athena, you should not have gone against Hades. He is a superior ruler, and you are a fool to ignore his wishes. Did you not hear what happened to Artemis?"

Remembering her sister's ghost, Mayura sobbed.

"She died because she hadn't the intelligence to join him! But you, you Athena, still have a chance. Let go of these foolish morals and we shall return to Olympus as heroes. Hades would love to have you as his ally. You do not make a good enemy."

There was no kindness or willpower left in his expression. Hades had possessed him, much like he had Narugami.

"Give...up." Freyr ordered, hitting her with enough force to throw her across the roof.

Mayura struggled to stand up. When she finally got to her wobbly knees, she tried to whisper key words to awaken her brother's memories.

"Sun, Artemis, siblings, light, beauty, art, horses, chariot--" She was interrupted as his sword narrowly missed her eye. He had approached her and was swinging like a madman.

"Your mind control won't work on this one." Freyr announced. "If you shan't join Hades, you shall perish!"

His sword was pointed at her chest now. "Athena, one last chance. Join us."

Mayura shook her head and he sighed, lifting his sword to strike her.

There came a tiny _ping_. The sound of something stretching, something being plucked...the sound of a bow.

The arrow, consumed by white light, struck Freyr's sword and surrounded the god with its glow.

He fell to his knees as the light faded. "Athena...this one is sorry. How did you save...?"

On the next rooftop over, a figure stood holding the glowing bow. The person was eclipsed by the light, but Mayura knew it was Artemis. Only the goddess of the hunt was so talented with a bow.

"Thank you..." She whispered.

But how _had_ her sister saved Apollo? Wasn't she dead?

Then again, she had said something about a way to save Apollo. Was this it?

The figure vanished and her questions went unanswered.

X

"Kazumi Higashiyama." The exchange student who looked suspiciously like Ares said the next day at school.

Narugami growled. "Here to spy on me, eh? You won't win." He whispered to himself. "We'll battle to the death, Ares! After work, though."

Koutarou sweat-dropped, glancing at Loki. "Why do all the crazies join our class? Why can't some of them join the class next door...?"

Loki shrugged and decided not to concern himself with it. Messing with such a fearsome god would probably not be a good idea anyway.

Koutarou sighed. "Hey, want to go pick up girls tonight? I heard they're opening a new club beside my father's coffeehouse."

"The one by the market?"

"No, the other one."

"The one by the sweet shop?"

"No, the _other_ one."

"Oh, the one by the train station."

"No, Loki. The one by the maid cafe."

"Ooh. Nice." Loki shook his head. "But I can't go."

Koutarou's face slumped. "Do not tell me it's the detective."

"She has a relative in town and is very excited." Loki tried to explain.

Disappointed, Koutarou shook his head. "Fine, I'll go after the hotties on my own. But I'm not introducing you to any of them. Go spend time with your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend."

The teacher sweat-dropped. "Must you two discuss this in the middle of my class?!"

X

"I know not who intends to attack next." Freyr admitted at Mayura's house that evening.

"Aphy hasn't come yet." Mayura noted. Indeed, the goddess of love and beauty had not come to her with murderous intentions quite yet.

"She will soon." Yamino predicted as the sounds of rain entered the room. He closed the window to prevent any water leaking in.

Freyr frowned. "Artemis...our sister...mine twin..."

Mayura sighed. "I know, she's dead. Mou, yet she helped us...I don't understand, really."

Freyr shook his head. "Reincarnation?"

"No..." Hades would be preventing any reincarnation now. Artemis had found a way to survive his attacks. But why hadn't she said something when she appeared as an apparition? Something was wrong.

"This one will take his leave. I wish to look for mine sister." Freyr said, standing up.

"Apollo, by the way, why are you going by that name?" Mayura wondered.

"We each have our own Earth name, sister. You have a Japanese one and I shall have mine British one!" He vanished in a bath of golden light.

Mayura sweat-dropped. "Mou...but that's not a British name..."

The doorbell rang and Yamino went to answer it.

A nervous man entered and Yamino led him upstairs to Mayura. "Miss Mayura, we have a client."

The detective blinked at the odd man. "Yes?"

The man twitched. "I-I-I'm Ryo Kurata. M-my s-son has a n-new girlfriend and I w-want her in-in-investi--"

"We can investigate his girlfriend as soon as my assistant arrives. He's a bishonen."

Ryo Kurata was confused now. "What?"

Loki entered the agency with a sigh. "School was awful today, detective...hey, a client." He noticed Kurata.

"Yes, we're about to go investigate his son's new girlfriend." Mayura said, excited at the thought of a new case.

Kurata nodded nervously. "We can do it now?"

"Yes, please show us the way!"

**X X X X**

Now don't complain about chapter size because this was originally split into two! Updates aren't going to be very frequent (obviously) but I am working on this. It may end up being a slightly short fic. Oh well...

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Next chapter: An investigation leads to Mayura finding whom...?!


	12. XI: Lust

Warnings: OOCness, semi-OCs, lack of spellcheck  
Notes: I'm diving right in so you should REALLY reread the previous chapter before starting this one. :)

The Mythical Detective Mayura

XI: Lust

Ryo Kurata, the current client, had hired Mayura to investigate his son's girlfriend. Now the nervous man was leading Mayura, Loki and Yamino towards his son's favorite dating spot.

"What's his girlfriend's name?" Mayura asked Kurata.

"Reiya. She's not Japanese, I'll tell y-you that. I don't r-really k-know what she is."

"Why do you want us to investigate her?"

Kurata bit his lip. "I-I don't think s-she's human. The w-way my s-son treats her...it's strange. He fell in l-love with her i-immediately but he knows n-nothing about h-her." He stuttered. "H-he buys her t-things. Expensive things. H-he took on t-t-two m-more jobs for h-her..."

Mayura and Loki exchanged glances. "That is odd." Loki said.

They finally arrived at a nice park bench where a black-haired boy and a short, pretty brunette girl with hair in pigtails sat. Stars twinkled behind them and the moon almost seemed to be watching. A lake was directly behind them and Mayura observed for a moment before speaking.

"Yamino...Loki and I will pretend to be a couple walking by and we'll see what's going on, although I think I already know. Mou, could you escort Mr. Kurata away for now?"

Loki watched as Yamino obeyed, directing the man back to the agency. "You want to pose as a couple?" He repeated.

She glanced up at him, her eyes reaching his. "Is that okay?"

Loki blushed at this, unable to take the cuteness. "Yeah."

Mayura shrieked in delight and took his hand into hers. She skipped towards the couple, dragging Loki behind her.

"Hi, I'm Mayu! Are you two also on your first date?" She asked, smiling as glitter appeared.

The girl, Reiya, shook her head. "Seventh!"

Loki blinked. "Your boyfriend...he looks...drained..."

Indeed, Kurata's son looked almost like a dried-out corpse. He was still moving--laughing, actually--but the life seemed to have been sucked from him.

Reiya glanced at her date then at Loki and Mayura. "Hmph." She waved a hand at Loki and he went flying across the park, landing in a tree a few yards away.

Mayura gasped, watching him fly. She ran over to him immediately, checking his pulse. When she had verified his safety (although he was unconscious) she turned back to Reiya. "Aphrodite...why are you draining men of their love?"

Reiya smiled darkly and grew in size and shape. She finally emerged as a zaftig blonde woman wearing a flowing white gown. "Athena, I should have known that you would discover me. That's all right...I want you to die anyway!"

A silver sword appeared and Mayura dodged as Aphrodite struck at her with it. The silver staff formed in Mayura's hand and the detective began to block the attacks.

In less than a minute Aphrodite's sword had flown into the lake.

"I'm a lover, not a fighter." Aphrodite admitted, stepping closer to her sister. "Want to see my true powers?" She took Mayura's face in her hands and leaned in close. "I can become anyone who resides in your heart."

Her form shifted to that of Apollo's. "Your loving brother..." Aphrodite whispered in his voice.

Then she saw Zeus before her. "Or your father."

Mayura wasn't even trying to escape Aphrodite's grasp. She was enchanted by the slideshow of familiar faces.

"The person whom you hate most is also in your heart. Just a darker section." Now Ares was looking down at her.

"Or perhaps the person your heart aches for most...?" Aphrodite continued, and Mayura saw Loki before her. "Detective..." Aphrodite said in Loki's voice. "I gotta admit, you're pretty cute..."

Aphrodite leaned in to kiss Mayura but the goddess of wisdom turned away. "You aren't Loki." She whispered.

Aphrodite's form shifted back to the beautiful woman. "If you won't let me steal your love, I will steal your life as Hades suggested!" She held a hand up to the sky and a stroke of powerful energy hit Mayura, knocking her into the tree where she landed beside Loki.

Mayura gripped her staff. "No, Aphrodite, you can't win! You're just a big meaniebutt!" She jumped from the tree, landing on her feet. "You can hit me with as much energy as you want, but I won't let you kill me."

Aphrodite smirked. "I can certainly try..." Another bolt of energy hit Mayura as the goddess of wisdom threw her staff at Aphrodite.

It sliced right through the goddess' hair, cutting half of it off. It fell into the lake with a soft splash.

Aphrodite screamed in horror and the energy attacks ceased. "How dare you?! How dare you ruin my hair!"

The staff floated out from underneath the water's surface and flew into Mayura's hands. "Aphrodite, you've long been seducing men despite marriages and children. You lack any sense of loyalty. I, Athena of Olympus, will free you from your sin. Aphrodite, thy sin's name is lust!"

A pink, shapeless figure emerged from the blonde goddess and floated into the air before vanishing into dust.

Loki stirred awake only to find the boy looking back to normal on the bench with Reiya on the ground beside him. Mayura was observing the situation with a look of distress.

"It was Aphrodite." She explained as he fell out of the tree and approached her. "Her memories are gone now...this boy will be fine. I've destroyed the sin."

Loki blinked. Her sister? Reiya was the goddess of love? Shouldn't the detective be glad to have her sister purified? "Something wrong, detective?" She seemed upset.

Mayura smiled slightly, turning to him. "Just wondering how many more of my siblings will come to kill me."

She began to head back to the agency, with Loki following.

**X X X X**

A full chapter, although it took forever. I'm working on this but my other stories keep distracting me X.x At this rate, you can expect one update every 3 weeks...unless I manage to finish the story soon. Since it's meant to be shorter than my others, I may actually manage to complete it within five chapters. We'll have to see.

This chapter isn't specifically rushed; the entire fic is rushed lol. It isn't meant to be, it just...is. Enjoy it anyway!

Next chapter: A new villain appears, but is Mayura more concerned about her sister?


	13. XII: Canine

Warnings: OOCness, semi-OCs, lack of spellcheck

The Mythical Detective Mayura

XII: Canine

"Cerberus, it is time for you to try your hand at Athena's death." Ares said, releasing the demonic dog. "Rather, your paw."

Cerberus howled angrily. "I can defeat her easily. She is slow. Her strength and wisdom have no effect on me."

Ares smiled maniacally as the hound vanished.

Eris watched from the corner of the library. "It won't work. Cerberus will end up having his sin removed too. Just like Aphrodite."

Ares glared at her. "Then you will have to kill her yourself!" He snarled.

Eris smiled slightly. "Perhaps I shall."

X

"Loki, I have news for you!" Odin sat his brother down at their breakfast table one morning.

Loki glared at him. It was far too early to be dealing with him. "Yeah?"

"Remember that girl I love? She's moving in with us! And she has a new puppy...isn't that great?" Odin was quite excited.

Loki sighed. "Isn't that sudden? I haven't even met her."

Odin smiled wide. "She's wonderful, really. I can't wait to introduce you two!"

"Okay, when?" Loki asked, knowing there was no resisting his brother.

"No, puppy, no!" The blonde woman said, following the small black dog into the house. The dog immediately began to eat the couch cushions. She then noticed Loki. "Ah...you're Loki!"

"Yes, I'm Loki." He replied, raising an eyebrow at her. "You are...?"

"Ah, I'm your brother's girlfriend, Frigg." She said warmly, shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you." He glanced down at the dog. "You'll be living here from now on?"

She glanced at Odin, who nodded.

"Yes!" She answered, hugging him. "This is my puppy, Fenrir! Named after the Norse demigod, since we have Norse names. That's why we met, you know." Frigg gazed longingly at Odin.

Loki avoided gagging.

"Will you take Fenny for a walk?" Frigg requested, handing the blonde boy the leash.

He glanced at the cute puppy uncertainly before sighing. "_Fine_..."

X

Thus Loki wandered along the streets with the odd, adorable black puppy. The dog stopped to mark a tree before continuing on his walk.

"Well, this is...normal." Hadn't he just been complaining about normalcy like this a few weeks ago? Since when was everything so incredibly weird?

Oh, right, since Mayura.

But that had been his decision, in fairness. He was the one who wanted an exciting, adventurous life. He had been the one to fall in lo--

Whoa, wait a second.

He didn't _love_ Mayura. He barely even liked her.

She was annoying and ditzy. She had no knowledge of customs on Earth. She was stupid, naive, gorgeous, kind-hearted, curious, exciting, adorable--

Wait, wait, wait! He began to rub his head in frustration as Fenrir ate a leaf.

Mayura was not _adorable_. He was not in love with her. She was just...different. He was just thinking these things because his experiences with her were so new.

That had to be it. Yeah.

Even if he did love her, they couldn't ever be together or anything. She was a goddess and he was a mortal--even if he was incredibly handsome and intelligent.

Plus she probably didn't feel the same way. Not that there was anything for her to feel...

He began to walk the dog towards the park.

X

Mayura sighed heavily, sitting inside her agency as she glanced at her files.

Aphrodite...

__

"Or perhaps the person your heart aches for most...?" Aphrodite continued, and Mayura saw Loki before her. "Detective..." Aphrodite said in Loki's voice. "I gotta admit, you're pretty cute..."

Aphrodite leaned in to kiss Mayura but the goddess of wisdom turned away. "You aren't Loki." She whispered.

Aphrodite's form shifted back to the beautiful woman. "If you won't let me steal your love, I will steal your life as Hades suggested!" She held a hand up to the sky and a stroke of powerful energy hit Mayura, knocking her into the tree where she landed beside Loki.

She couldn't be in love with Loki. Aphrodite was just playing a trick on her, using her seduction abilities to taunt her and tempt her and...

What was the point in denying it?

"Mou, Yamino-san..." Mayura groaned, letting her forehead hit her desk. "I have a problem."

The green-haired man stopped in his dusting and turned to her. "Yes, Mayura-sama?"

"Loki-kun...I think I'm in love with Loki-kun." She said, picking her head up slightly to look him in the eye.

He met her gaze and stared at her for a long moment before frowning. "Can you be, Mayura-sama?"

"What will happen?" She asked, sitting up and leaning back in her chair. "Will I be banished?"

Yamino smiled. "That's a good point. Now that you've been removed from Olympus and are being targeted for assassination, no more punishments can fall upon you."

She nodded, glancing out the window. "Mou, I don't know when or how I fell in love with him. He's just...my bishonen assistant detective friend."

"Love is a delicate flower that blossoms in times of trial." Freyr said, appearing out of nowhere. "It does not consider those questions that thou art asking."

Mayura blinked at him, surprised by his arrival. "Apollo, you really understand love..."

He shrugged. "To some extent, this one does. Of course Aphrodite is the real expert...Artemis is good with women..."

Both were silent for a moment as they considered their sisters.

"Artemis is truly gone." Freyr was almost asking her.

Mayura shook her head. "She's always with us!" She said, standing up and hugging her brother.

Little did they know...

**X X X X**

A short, revealing chapter for you, despite only one review!! ;-; I really thought you'd swarm after the "Lust" chapter, too...D:

Why did I update, then? Because I finished the fic! YAY! Meaning, if you guys get snappy with that reviewing, I can start updating once a week again ;D The ending is wonderful--you will be thrilled with it. The next chapter is good too.

Next chapter: Yamino and Loki have a chat about Mayura, but what happens when Cerberus interrupts?!


	14. XIII: Sickness

Warnings: Cheesy, lack of spellcheck, OOCness, fluff, etc.

The Mythical Detective Mayura

XIII: Sickness

"I'm sorry to say that Mayura-sama is sick again..." Yamino said awkwardly a few days later as he let Loki into the agency.

The blonde sighed. "Why does she get sick so often?"

Closing the door, Yamino replied, "I believe Earth's atmosphere bothers her. The air is different in Olympus."

Loki eyed him uncertainly. He had really wanted to speak to Mayura today, to try to confirm or dismiss his feelings for her. Yamino claimed that she was sick because she was a goddess, not used to his world's air.

But who was this guy anyway? Some random mortal Mayura had picked up?

Was he a sibling? A friend? A pet? Athena did have an owl around her constantly, right?

Yamino cleared his throat, uncomfortable with Loki's stare.

"Sorry." The teenager said sheepishly. "I was just thinking about something."

"Oh no, it's fine." Yamino replied kindly, shaking his head. "I was just wondering if you'd like me to give Mayura-sama a message for you."

Loki opened his mouth to give Yamino the message but instead found himself asking for a different favor.

"Could you come on a walk with me? I want to ask you some things."

The green-haired butler glanced at the stairs uncertainly. "I don't want to leave Mayura-sama alone."

"I will care for mine darling sister." Freyr announced, appearing out of nowhere. "Go speak with the mortal."

Yamino glanced at the god and nodded once, gesturing to Loki that they could leave.

X

"So who are you?" Loki asked casually as the pair walked down the street. Girls were swooning and shouting "megane and bishonen" at Yamino and Loki.

The green-haired man glanced at the girls uncertainly and they fainted.

"Ignore them." Loki suggested. "I attract them."

Yamino smiled warmly. "Mayura-sama tends to attract trouble more than handsome men."

Loki smirked. "Yeah, that's true." He couldn't deny that the detective had gotten herself into some nasty situations.

"However..." Yamino trailed off as he observed a pair of children running down the street. "Mayura-sama does have you."

Loki sighed at this. He had almost forgotten about his romantic problem. He wasn't sure how he felt about the detective, honestly. She was pretty and amusing, not to mention kind-hearted and strong. She wasn't the brightest, but she was pretty wonderful.

But he wasn't in love with her. She was a goddess and he was a mortal. She was being targeted for death.

He hadn't even known her long enough. It was silly. It was just silly.

"Please..." Yamino's soft tone snapped Loki from his thoughts. "Don't break her heart."

Loki stopped walking. "What?"

Yamino stopped a few feet ahead of Loki and turned to face him. "Mayura-sama cares for you. I can tell."

Loki frowned. "She does? I don't know what you're talking about."

"She talks about you all the time and misses you while you're in school. I'm afraid she's fallen for you. I know that you have broken girls' hearts in the past but please don't break hers." His glasses were reflecting the sunlight and Loki couldn't meet his gaze.

"She's a goddess." Loki muttered, walking past Yamino and down the street. "I could never be with her."

"It doesn't matter." The butler replied, running to catch up with him. "She's a fallen goddess. There is nothing she can do to anger Hades anymore. He's already out for her head, so she has no rules to worry about."

"But she'll die!" When had he started crying? The blonde teenager wiped away a tear, feeling rather wimpy. "They're going to kill her. I don't want to love her just to lose her. Even if she lives, I'll die eventually and she will live on forever. One of us will only end up miserable."

"Things will work out if you follow your heart." Yamino assured him, walking beside him again.

"What a cheesy line." Loki muttered.

Yamino laughed nervously. He had really liked that line...

"Who are you, anyway?" Loki's face had dried and he was trying to regain some manliness.

"He's dead meat." A deep voice said and Loki watched in horror as Frigg's seemingly innocent puppy ran at Yamino, knocking him to the ground.

Yamino threw Fenrir off and stood up. "Cerberus!" He said, partially to Loki and partially to himself.

"The three-headed guard dog of hell?" Loki whispered, eye twitching. This was way too weird. Where was Mayura when he needed her?

"Can't believe you betrayed us." Fenrir muttered, circling Yamino and Loki. "Can't believe that bitchy mortal picked me up and named me after a Norse god."

"Demigod." Loki corrected, earning himself a canine glare.

"I'm going to eat you both before I head over to Athena's place." Fenrir decided, and the tiny puppy grew into a hideous dog with multiple heads. He dwarfed the houses that sat on the side of the street.

"Let's start with the traitor's little helper." Cerberus said, aiming his main head's huge jaws at Yamino.

**X X X**

C'mon, you had to have seen that coming...I'm sorry that this is so late. X.x Next one is already ready for posting/proofread, so it should be faster! Hope you enjoyed my cliffhanger.

Next chapter: Who is Yamino?


	15. XIV: Wings

Warnings: OOCness, semi-OCs, lack of spellcheck, cursing

The Mythical Detective Mayura

XIV: Wings

Yamino threw Fenrir off and stood up. "Cerberus!" He said, partially to Loki and partially to himself.

"The three-headed guard dog of hell?" Loki whispered, eye twitching. This was way too weird. Where was Mayura when he needed her?

"Can't believe you betrayed us." Fenrir muttered, circling Yamino and Loki. "Can't believe that bitchy mortal picked me up and named me after a Norse god."

"Demigod." Loki corrected, earning himself a canine glare.

"I'm going to eat you both before I head over to Athena's place." Fenrir decided, and the tiny puppy grew into a hideous dog with multiple heads. He dwarfed the houses that sat on the side of the street.

"Let's start with the traitor's little helper." Cerberus said, aiming his main head's huge jaws at Yamino.

Yamino wasn't there. Cerberus bit into the cement sidewalk and spit out the heavy chunks.

Loki watched in disgust, horror and shock as the pieces of cement fell by his feet.

Cerberus was confused. "Where did you go?" He growled viciously, turning each head in a different direction.

"Here..." Yamino's voice reached the dog's ears. "Or perhaps here." The heads shifted to face the opposite direction.

"Stop moving!" Cerberus ordered, swatting the air with one enormous paw.

"Very well." Yamino appeared in front of Loki. The blonde's eyes widened. "How'd you do that? You can teleport?"

"Not exactly." Yamino said as Cerberus bent down to chomp him. He vanished again, reappearing behind the beast. "I'm just very fast."

Cerberus' heads growled and he brought his paw down on Yamino. The green-haired god flew into the air above him and landed gracefully by Loki again.

"Your shoes have wings on them." Loki noticed, trying to remember which god that was. Wait...

"Hermes? The messenger god?" He finally asked, suddenly thankful for his brother's mythology obsession.

Yamino smiled warmly. "Please wait a moment while I take care of Cerberus. He's usually quite gentle, if a bit annoying."

The great beast turned around to face him again. "Stop moving, Hermes. Your loyalty to Athena is the reason for this conflict. Now die without a fight."

The green-haired god shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't acquiesce to your request."

He vanished again, reappearing with rope. He ran around Cerberus in a circle, tying his heads together.

The heads exchanged glances and broke free of the rope.

"Oh." Yamino hadn't expected that.

"Can't you use some purifying staff thing?" Loki suggested.

"No," the messenger god replied, "I don't have that power. I'm not usually confrontational."

"I am." Cerberus stomped on the ground beside Yamino, surprising him. He rushed away but one of Cerberus' heads grabbed him and held on.

The god struggled to escape but wasn't able to.

"You're first, then Apollo, then Athena." Cerberus said as drool dripped out of one mouth.

__

"My dear creature..."

Loki turned rapidly to the melodic singing. He had just imagined that...?

__

"Let the waves of love surround you."

Cerberus heard it too and even Yamino had turned to face the singing woman. The green-haired god then remembered something Mayura had given him in case of an emergency. He struggled to reach his pocket and took out the small vial. The singing voice became clear...rather, clearly congested.

__

"My deab cweabture, let your sbirit be camb..."

Cerberus' heads exchanged glances, trying to translate the tune.

__

"Dwabling Ceberdus, guardian aboved dall, closeb your eyes and gibeb into Morpheus as do we alleb."

"Who the hell is that?" Cerberus' main head asked.

As soon as he opened his mouth, Yamino tossed the vial in.

"It's water from the river Lethe." The green-haired god said with a smile as Cerberus' eyes began to drift to a close. "It'll put you to sleep."

__

"My deab cweabture, leb sweep overcomb you..."

The singing voice grew more nasally as Cerberus dropped Yamino and began to sway back and forth.

"Ceberdus," a very sick Mayura said as she finally came into view, "it's timb to remove your evil!" She took her staff and swirled it around. "Guardian, gate, hellfire, bones! Remember your duby as a guardian to Hell itselbf and stop this mabness!"

Cerberus glowed before turning back into the tiny puppy.

"Detective..." Loki watched the pink-haired goddess sigh heavily.

"Are you two obay?" She asked.

Loki nodded and remembered Yamino's earlier words about how much she cared for him. "Yeah. Thanks."

She nodded. "Always."

"What do we do with him now?" Loki asked, glancing at the puppy.

"He belongs to your brother, doesn't he? He should have no memories of Olympus...that is the fate of all the gods who are purified." Yamino frowned. "He's a normal dog."

Mayura twisted a strand of her hair nervously.

**X X X X**

Oh noes ;-; I edited this entire chapter a while ago, forgetting that 13 wasn't up yet. Uhm...here it is now!

Please review! It's easier now...even a few words like "I read it!" would make me happy.

Next chapter: More sin is collected and our plot thickens. This story isn't long, so we're heading towards the end!


	16. XV: Gluttony

Warnings: OOCness, semi-OCs, lack of spellcheck, cursing

The Mythical Detective Mayura

XV: Gluttony

Her staff twisted through the air, emitting a glow.

"Your need to have everything you see has become disgusting." Mayura said as the man before her whimpered in fear. The giant blue monster that had emerged from his back was growling at her.

"It is no longer a hobby but a necessity. And I, Athena of Olympus, will remove your sin. Mamoru, thy sin's name is gluttony!"

She cut through the blue monster with her staff and it vanished into dust.

The man fainted and Mayura sighed. "Mou, that's only the third sin. I haven't seen any wrath, greed, sloth or pride yet on Earth. I solved ten cases..."

"Um, my brother probably counts as sloth." Loki pointed out.

"Mou, your brother isn't that bad." Mayura said with a slight smile.

"You haven't lived with him." Loki muttered.

Mayura walked over to him as Yamino handled the client and his family. "Loki, what about your parents...?" She was sure that mortals had those.

"They went to America. They're doctors." Loki said, not meeting her gaze. Looking into her curious big eyes only made him blush now that he had accepted his feelings. "They don't visit."

Mayura blinked, trying to imagine a blonde woman and a white-haired man with Loki and Odin's respective personalities. She sweat-dropped after a full moment. "Mou, it's hard to think about. My father..." She paused, thinking of Zeus. "He's not all there anymore because of my uncle." She clenched a fist.

Loki opened his mouth, ready to say something comforting, but Freyr appeared.

"Athena, you will not believe what this one has discovered." The god said, breathing heavily.

"Hm?" Mayura gave him her attention.

"Ares is hunting mortal girls. Look." He handed her a newspaper.

Loki snatched it and read the headline. "Mysterious killer takes female victims with pink hair. This could be a coincidence."

Mayura frowned, looking at the details. "Murdered with a sword...police suspect that the sword was on fire when the killer used it on the victims. It's certainly my brother. I just never thought he was this sick."

"We must stop him." Freyr said, putting his hands on his hips. "How do we find him?"

Mayura clenched a fist. "We ask Eris."

**X X X X**

I am so sorry that I forgot to update...and how short this chapter is. It was previously 3x this length, but I wanted to separate the sins. Longer chapter next week~~hopefully on Tuesday, but that depends how quickly I get my reviews ;D

Next chapter: Eris, goddess of chaos, gets a visit...


	17. XVI: Sloth

Warnings: OOCness, semi-OCs, lack of spellcheck, cursing

The Mythical Detective Mayura

XVI: Sloth

The fortuneteller's hut was a marvel, indeed, with its high roof and seemingly endless folds of fabric walls.

Loki had been ordered to stay behind for his safety, but that didn't prevent him from muttering in his position watching the tent from the restaurant across the street.

After all, it was a private event.

Mayura stepped past the red cloth, brushing it aside. The tent went on forever, deeper than it should have been. It was Eris' majesty.

The pink-haired goddess headed towards the center of the tent, only to find the taller goddess of chaos sitting in a chair.

With curled hair in the same shade of pink and round glasses, Eris hardly seemed threatening. Unfortunately, she was.

"Where is Ares?" Mayura asked, knowing that idle banter was useless in this case.

The goddess smirked in reply. "You'll have to defeat my puppets to find out." She waved a hand and an assortment of small creatures appeared, each bearing pointed teeth. They were almost like zombies or stuffed animals, each vaguely resembling one animal with parts of all others in random spots.

Mayura paled just as the fleet of monsters launched themselves at her, gnawing on her hair and skirt. She tried to kick them off but there were too many.

She grabbed a rabbit-like creature by its ears and flung it across the tent but it just rose up again and headed back to her.

"My puppets cannot be killed." Eris explained, twirling the Apple of Discord on her finger much like a basketball. "They can, however, kill _you_."

Mayura stomped on an aardvark as she summoned her silver staff. One mighty swing ripped a dozen creatures into halves, but they simply reattached themselves and proceeded in their death march.

Mayura slashed through an elephant's trunk as a turtle bit her leg. She shrieked in pain, swatting at a lion.

"There's only one way to stop you..." Mayura whispered, squinting at Eris through the mob of creatures.

Eris' eyes widened. "You wouldn't! You can't!"

Ignoring the pain in her leg, Mayura twirled her staff in the air, slashing through the zombie-like monsters and momentarily gaining a clear shot. "Eris, you only obey the tasks of Ares without any thoughts of your own. Instead of fighting your own battles, you send others, like these creatures and Cerberus, to do your dirty work. I, Athena of Olympus, will free you from your sin. Eris, thy sin's name is sloth!"

An orange monster made of dust emerged from Eris as the goddess fell unconscious. Mayura stared at the one-eyed, droopy creature before striking through it with her staff. It vanished into dust and the plush creatures did not arise again.

Mayura approached the now harmless Eris and reached into her pockets for signs of Ares's location. She discovered a handwritten note:

__

Ready to learn, Athena?

She clenched the note in her fist, recognizing the handwriting. If Ares wanted a lesson, she would be glad to teach him one.

**X X X X**

As you probably now, chapters tend to be short because I think each sin deserves to be recovered on its own without having to share the spotlight. Hel was Eris! We're heading towards the fic's end, and I think the next chapter will please you...

There isn't much filler left in the fic, I warn you! Lots of other good stuff is coming.

Next chapter: Mayura fights Ares, but the battle is going badly until a familiar face arrives to help.


	18. XVII: Wrath

Warnings: OOCness, semi-OCs, lack of spellcheck, cursing

The Mythical Detective Mayura

XVII: Wrath

The moon was a waxing gibbous this evening, making the scene less dramatic than Mayura expected it to be.

The detective stepped onto the school's roof, feeling deja vu for a full moment before continuing on towards her enemy.

With her staff shimmering in the moon's light, she struck the cement. "Ares."

The tall purple-haired man smirked, revealing fangs. He was standing just a few yards away from her, leaning on the rusty fence that surrounded the entire roof. "That was fast."

"Eris' sin was easy to remove." Mayura replied, making small steps towards him at an off angle.

"That doesn't surprise me." He was grinning.

The pink-haired goddess frowned. "Ares, do you really want to do this?"

He chuckled. "You even have to ask? My dream has been to kill you, Athena, ever since our father showed you such favor. You deserve none of it, you moron!" He ran at her suddenly as his sword appeared.

She met it with her staff and a "clang."

Mayura narrowed her eyes. "Mou, Ares, if you stop now then I'll forget everything you've done so far. If not..."

Ares moved his sword rapidly, cutting her arm in response.

Mayura gasped, clutching her wound and watching as she bled. She winced.

"Guess that's a not..." She whispered, switching so her staff was in the healthier, non-dominant arm. She struck at his feet, bruising one, before aiming at his head. She hoped to knock him unconscious to end the fight.

He blocked magnificently, using all his willpower to drive her staff closer to her own flesh.

She shrieked, stepping away. That had been too close...Ares was too strong for her. In intelligence she could win, but not in strength. Unfortunately, she had to find a moment of weakness before cleansing Ares' sins.

Ares ran at her, red eyes glowing with hatred. His sword struck her shoulder this time, just above the previous wound. She let out a single sob and felt tears forming in her eyes. She was still weakened from her battle with Eris.

This was a stupid decision. If she had only waited, her magic could have recovered completely from removing Eris' sin and she would be able to defeat him. Or at least have a better chance. She was failing pathetically.

Would she honestly lose to him...? How had she won last time?

Mayura threw her staff into the air weakly, letting it transform into the silver sword again. She reached out to catch it but it hit the ground instead.

She lunged for it, still grasping her arm, but found herself hitting only solid ground.

Ares picked up the silver sword just before she reached it and snapped it into two long pieces.

She watched in horror as her beautiful sword, her last hope, fell to the roof's surface with a tiny, pathetic crash.

Ares glowered down at her, letting his frown take over his face. "You don't know how long I've waited for this." He hissed, twisting his own sword in his hand.

Mayura crawled backwards as much as possible, feeling dizzy from the blood loss. She tried to send magic bursts at him, but with her current weakness and lack of staff, only tiny sparks came from her palm.

Wouldn't Hercules save her? Or Apollo? Where were they when she needed--

A single glowing arrow zoomed through the air, striking Ares in the stomach.

He gasped in complete terror as it went straight through his belly and lodged itself in the chain fence.

He looked around. "Artemis!" He roared.

Mayura felt her vision blurring but she could vaguely make out her sister's shape, holding the bow. She edged towards her broken sword, hoping to reach it before Ares noticed.

"You were supposed to be dead! How did you possess a mortal?" Ares roared, clutching his bleeding stomach.

"Easily." The goddess of the hunt replied smoothly.

"Don't speak like that, you filthy excuse for a goddess! I hate it when you act so superior! You're not superior, and I'll prove it! I'll kill you agai--" He froze as he felt cold metal on his back--right in his new wound.

Barely standing, Mayura pressed her staff (reverted back from the sword) farther into the wound. "Ares, you yell and call others names to compensate for your own hatred of yourself. I, Athena of Olympus, will purify you. Ares, thy sin's name is wrath!"

The staff glowed and a huge beast, larger than any Mayura had seen thus far, emerged from Ares. Mayura backed away, unsure if she could stop such a monstrous beast. Its fangs were two feet long and its eyes glowed gold.

The red monster loomed over Ares before another arrow pierced it. It fell apart in whisps before vanishing completely.

"Artemis!" Mayura yelled as Ares fell to the ground, unconscious.

The familiar figure, leaning on the bow, smirked. "Surprised?"

**X X X X**

I'm going to go with 4 reviews pre-update on this fic 'cause I keep forgetting to update it weekly...heh...

So update at 90 reviews!

Next chapter: Artemis finally explains what happened!


	19. XVIII: Artemis

Warnings: OOCness, semi-OCs, lack of spellcheck, cursing  
Notes: Reread the things about Artemis in previous chapters or this won't make much sense ;D

The Mythical Detective Mayura

XVIII: Artemis

"I can't believe she's alive." Loki commented from his position on the couch. "Mayura got upset over nothing."

Freyr was pacing. "What mine sister said was that Artemis did die, but managed to take over a human. Athena seemed very surprised but thankful. What form could Artemis possibly have taken...?"

Yamino sweat-dropped at the pair. "Miss Mayura should be home soon." He assured them.

"I have Artemis! Mou, you two won't believe this." Mayura said suddenly, slamming the door open and running to her brother and assistant.

Loki frowned. "What won't we believe?"

"Artemis...she's..." The detective giggled slightly. "Such a pervert!"

"What?" Loki asked suspiciously.

Apollo frowned. "Mine sister? Really? Artemis is such a lovely lady, though, with flowing locks like myself--"

"Flowing locks? Really?" The familiar person snorted, entering behind Mayura. "Apollo, you're just being silly now."

Loki's eyes widened. "Koutarou?! You're Artemis?"

Koutarou gave him a large shrug. "When Hades killed me, I looked for the first corpse available. I was at first annoyed to be in a male body, but he was freshly dead, so it was easy to take his body as my own. Plus, the ladies love this form. I'm quite pleased all in all." He chuckled.

"K-koutarou died?" Loki paled.

"Before you met him..." The former goddess explained casually. "I'm the only Koutarou you've known. Even if I could get my old body back, I don't think I would. I've started to like this one."

"Artemis! Nooo, how can you say that?" Freyr sobbed, clinging to the blonde's foot.

"Apollo, knock it off." Koutarou ordered, rolling his eyes as he pushed the god off his foot.

"So...you've known...about Mayura...the entire time?" Loki was twitching now.

"Of course. I'm amazed that Athena didn't notice me earlier, frankly." Koutarou said, crossing his arms and leaning against a wall. "For some reason, everyone always assumes that I'm evil."

"That's because you're a pervert!" Mayura said cheerfully. "Remember the time you flipped that mortal girl's skirt, or the time you watched that princess undress, or the time you went to Earth and spied on the women's bath--"

Koutarou covered her mouth. "Let's change the subject." He said, clearing his throat. "What sins have you gathered so far?"

"Why do you have to gather them anyway?" Loki questioned, ignoring the now-sobbing Freyr.

"Because Hades lives on sins. For every person whose sin is removed, we weaken him just a little. Also, if Athena--Mayura--can gather one piece of each sin, she can theoretically turn them into the virtues and turn them against Hades." Koutarou explained, heading over to sit on the couch.

"Virtues?" Freyr asked, joining the conversation.

"The opposite of sins, according to mortal beliefs. Humility, kindness, that stuff...the thought is that if Mayura can purify the sins, they become virtues and she can use the good things against Hades."

Mayura bit her lip. "Mou, but I haven't gotten them all yet. I have envy, wrath, sloth, lust and gluttony."

"Where'd you get those?" Koutarou was impressed.

"Envy from Suzuka, a girl who was jealous of her sister to such an extent that she killed her sister." Loki remembered.

"Lust from Aphy," Mayura said sadly. "She thought that love could only be physical because Hades corrupted her...then a client named Mamoru had gluttony. Eris, the goddess of chaos, had sloth because she let her evil minions do all the work without moving to do anything herself. Ares obviously contained wrath."

"Who would have greed and pride?" Freyr asked.

"Hades...but as the owner of all sins, he himself can't be purified by Mayura's staff. While most gods and mortals have one sin inside themselves that is stronger than the others, all of them are equal in Hades. The staff can only remove one sin at a time. Miss Mayura will need to fight him with all the virtues and defeat him that way." Yamino replied.

"Wait...I know who has greed." Mayura clenched her fist. "Someone whose greed can be removed, and whose greed is stronger than anyone else's. But...I have to go to Olympus."

Freyr's eyes widened. "Of course...but who will you take pride from in Olympus?"

"Mou, I'm not sure..." Mayura frowned. "There are plenty of gods, though. I'm sure one of them has pride."

"So what? You're just going to go up there and play it by ear? Don't you think that's dangerous?" Koutarou huffed.

"No, it's necessary." Yamino closed his eyes. "She could look for the sins on Earth, but if she really wants to defeat Hades, she needs to remove very strong sins. She can only find those in Olympus. Miss Mayura, I will go with you."

"This one, too!" Freyr said, jumping up.

Koutarou glanced around. "Very well, I'll go too...I do still have some magic, after all."

"How?" Freyr turned to him.

"The soul holds magic, not the body." Koutarou rolled his eyes again. "But you'll still need more help. Try Hercules."

Mayura blinked, thinking of Narugami. "Okay." She nodded.

"I just want one day."

Everyone turned to Loki, surprised by this comment.

"There are some things that I need to tell the detec--Mayura. Please give me one day with her." The blonde said, looking around the room.

Mayura glanced at her siblings hopefully.

"Not like there's a choice. One day won't change much. Go ahead." Koutarou muttered.

Freyr nodded. "If that is what you wish to do, mine sister, then do it."

Mayura smiled sadly. "One day..."

**X X X X**

D: Only approximately 3 chapters left...I'll update at 95 reviews. The next chapter is one you've been dying for!

Next chapter: Goodbyes and confessions...the calm before the storm.


	20. XIX: Waves

Warnings: :P You've gotta have it figured out by now lol  
Notes: Sorry that this is late! I was doing community service all weekend. I really meant to update at 95 D: Argh. Please don't be disappointed with me! This is one of the last chapters of the fic and very Mayuloki-filled!

The Mythical Detective Mayura

XIX: Waves

"So..."

They had taken a train and a car and were now at the beach, glad to have a temporary refuge from the trouble they faced.

Of course, this was incredibly awkward.

"Why did you want to spend a day with me? Um...not that I mind..." Mayura was blushing.

Oh, right. He was hopelessly in love with her and she didn't even know.

The feelings hadn't started out intense--in fact, they were closer to annoyance. But after spending time with the detective, he began to appreciate her caring nature.

"Well...I have something to tell you." Loki was amazed how hard it was to speak.

Wasn't he the brilliant Loki Kamiya?

Didn't all women love him?

Wasn't he a notorious heartbreaker/bachelor?

When had he realized how much he cared for her?

Oh, right...when she saved him from Ares.

__

"Don't compare us to the twins." She moved closer to the nervous Loki. "I despise you more than Artemis could ever hate Apollo. I won't fight you."

Ares chuckled, swinging an arm in the air. "Yes, you will. Or your precious mortal will forever remain a horse."

"What?" Mayura turned around and shrieked. In Loki's place was a yellow horse with a shiny mane and annoyed eyes.

"Oh my gosh! Loki, I am so sorry! Mou, Ares, you'll pay for harming my assistant detective." Her staff appeared and she rushed at her brother...

Or was it when his brother accused him of dating her...?

__

"So are you still dating the crazy girl?" Odin asked cheerfully at breakfast the next day.

Loki glared at him. "I'm working for her. I'm not dating her."

His elder brother gave him a skeptical look. "Right. Sure..."

Or when Yamino begged him not to hurt her feelings?

__

But he wasn't in love with her. She was a goddess and he was a mortal. She was being targeted for death.

He hadn't even known her long enough. It was silly. It was just silly.

"Please..." Yamino's soft tone snapped Loki from his thoughts. "Don't break her heart."

It didn't matter, honestly, because everything about her made him smile. Her cute personality, her beauty, her kindness, her smile, her strength...

He liked the way she giggled and the way she spoke of her family. He liked her grin and her way of walking with her hands behind her back. He liked the determination and courage she had.

But she was a goddess and he was a mortal. How could they ever--

"Loki, I love you!"

He snapped out of his thoughts and turned to her. Had he imagined that?

No, she was crying and clenching her fists as if ready to fight.

"What?" He whispered, wondering if she really felt the same way.

"I-I love you!" She repeated, narrowing her eyes. "I don't want to leave Earth because I don't want to leave you! When Aphy and I fought, I was almost hypnotized because she took your form...whenever someone threatens you, I have to defend you! I like the way you interact with your friends and family, and I like your closeness with your brother...I like your intelligence. I think it's amazing that you let yourself be the bad guy by rejecting those girls right off the bat instead of dating them and dumping them. Nothing is bad about Loki!" She ran to him and gave him a huge hug.

"Mou, I don't care if you're a mortal...I'll become a mortal too! Just...please wait for me to return. I promise I will." She sobbed into his chest.

He stared at her, shocked. She felt the same way. She felt the same way... She felt the same way!

He embraced her, forgetting the sea's breeze and the loud waves. He forgot the annoying feel of sand between his toes and he forgot the dark clouds looming over the horizon--so close to them.

"I love you too..." He sighed in relief. "I really do...so you have to hurry back, okay?"

Mayura nodded into his chest, still crying. "I don't even have to go! I'll just stay here forever."

"I thought you said Hades plans to destroy civilization as we know it and erect cities based solely on his whims." Loki muttered.

Mayura stared up at him, trying to process this. She finally let out a sigh--but this was not one of relief. "I know." She whispered. "But for today...I'm going to pretend to be mortal."

He gave her a single nod. "All right, detective."

She smiled slightly, unable to resist. "It's Mayura..."

And they did indeed kiss.

X

"Then we went to the amusement park...and then to the movies." Mayura tapped her fingers together nervously. "Then he had to go home because his brother needs help cooking dinner."

Koutarou nodded approvingly. "He's a good person...especially considering that he's male."

"Artemis, you're a boy now too..." Mayura pointed out. "Mou, you also said that you were enjoying it."

"Just because being a boy is fun doesn't mean they're good to date. Speaking of which, I met a blonde today." Koutarou chuckled.

Freyr paled. "This one does not need to hear about it...what happened to mine darling sister?" He sniffed.

"Artemis has always preferred women. Especially blondes." Mayura reminded her brother.

Freyr sighed heavily, changing the subject. "So we leave tomorrow? Will Artemis be returning to her former form?"

"I can't." Koutarou groaned but began to think about it. "Hm...maybe if I steal some of the old man's power..."

"I have to find someone in Olympus who has pride, first. I also need to recover greed from you-know-who..." Mayura twisted a strand of hair around her finger. "It's looking like I won't return."

"Now that's a bad way to think." Yamino pointed out.

Mayura smiled sadly. "I actually think that was another random burst of wisdom..."

"Will you be seeing Loki again before we leave?" Yamino asked.

She shook her head. "I can't say goodbye again."

"How are we getting to Olympus?" Koutarou changed the depressing subject.

"The sun chariot..." Freyr answered, referring to his preferred method of transporation. "If that is all right."

"Yes, it'll be fine." Mayura nodded, hoping that everything would indeed be...

**X X X X**

Thanks so much for the reviews! I will try to update in a week or so, but I can't really promise exactly when it'll be--really forgetful, remember? XD There are two chapters & an epilogue left. :0 We are so close to the end, peeps!

Next chapter: Sin number six is greed.


	21. XX: Greed

The Mythical Detective Mayura

XX: Greed

Olympus was a land on the clouds, full of sparkling palaces that were the gods' homes. Unfortunately, with Hades' arrival, the dark palaces now rested on black dust.

Mayura, Koutarou, Yamino, Narugami, and Freyr stepped on the round globs of dust, making their way towards the home that had once belonged to Zeus. Hades was its current resident, as Zeus had been tied up and thrown down to the Underworld for safe keeping.

With the king of the gods trapped, his consort Hera had basically become Hades' lover. Persephone, the god of death's wife, was enraged but Hades ended her tantrum with a quick blow to the head and another soul joined the Styx's stream.

When they entered the grand hall, the queen of the gods was standing alone in the throneroom. "Welcome, Athena," she said spitefully. "Oh, look who else is here. Have you all come to die? Lovely, you can join your father."

"The old man is dead? I knew he was trapped in Hades but not dead..." Koutarou said, looking hurt despite himself. He had never gotten along well with Zeus.

"Daddy!" Mayura shouted, looking down at the floor as if he could hear her. "Daddy, I am so sorry..." She clenched a fist and turned back to her father's wife.

"Hera! I'm here to remove your sin and stop Hades," she announced.

Hera chuckled in reply. "You really think you can defeat me? How naive. I'm going to rule this world and all its inhabitants--nothing will stop me. I will not be just the queen of the gods, but the queen of everything."

"That's why your sin is greed. We're going to take that from you," the goddess of wisdom answered.

"We? Oh, your companions are going to be occupied..." Hera smirked, waving a hand. A dozen armed gods appeared and rushed at Narugami, Yamino, Freyr and Koutarou.

"Wonderful." Koutarou said, aiming his bow at the nearest targets as the others prepared their magic and weapons.

Mayura watched as the group began to fight before turning back to Hera. "You want it one on one?"

Hera answered by waving a hand. Immediately a dozen bursts of green energy headed towards Mayura.

The silver staff appeared and Mayura hit the bursts, sending them back at Hera, who managed to dodge them.

"Athena, why are you so against letting me have all those mortal lives? As long as you get your own mortals to play with, it shouldn't matter." Hera's voice was smooth.

"You have to rule fairly," Mayura whispered.

"You think your father ruled fairly?!" Hera hissed, stepping towards Mayura while the other gods fought in the background. "He always had time for other women...but never me! I wanted him all to myself. He should have been mine alone...I want him to only look at me--he should only look at me."

"Envy and pride..." Mayura closed her eyes. "You have them too but I see a sin that consumes you more."

"How dare you say I'm sinful?" Hera growled, snapping her fingers. More balls of energy headed towards the goddess of wisdom. A tiny object that looked like a pill also flew at her.

Mayura smacked them away with her staff again but the tiny capsule landed in her mouth and she swallowed it in shock. Fortunately, nothing happened.

Hera turned red. "You...you...when you're dead, Zeus will be mine again. He has always doted on you, but never me...he loves the mortal women but not me. I want his love! I want all of his love...none should be for such a rebellious child!" She raised her hands to the sky and a ball of green energy, larger than Hera herself, formed between her arms.

She sent the ball towards Mayura.

The pink-haired goddess gripped her staff and summoned her memories of baseball. She had seen it briefly on television while on Earth. Loki had to explain its rules to her but they made no sense. She had gotten _one_ thing out of it, though...

She let her staff meet the ball of energy, like that bat and ball, and sent it whizzing back towards Hera.

It struck the goddess-queen, knocking her unconscious.

"Hera, you want all the power and all of Zeus' love. Though you are full of envy and pride, you cannot stop desiring things that are not yours. You always want more and more. I, Athena of Olympus, will free you from your sin." Mayura pointed her staff to Hera. "Hera, thy sin's name is greed!"

A giant yellow creature emerged from Hera and Mayura slashed through it with her staff. It vanished.

She turned around to see how her companions were doing but saw that they were all unconscious.

Every warrior who had been involved with the battle was on the ground. The bow and arrow were lying on top of Narugami, whose nose was bleeding. Yamino's foot was twisted at a grotesque angle and Koutarou was slumped over on top of Freyr.

The other gods were strewn around the room, all unconscious. Some were pierced with arrows and others were bloody.

She was about to shout to them but a voice interrupted her.

"Hello, Athena..."

**X X X X**

Sorry for the late update! One chapter then the epilogue--thanks for reading!


	22. XXI: Pride

The Mythical Detective Mayura

XXI: Pride

"Hades." Mayura turned to the tall god who had caused her so much grief.

"You look upset," he mused.

Mayura clenched a fist. "Mou, you are so...so...how could you do this? You killed my father and hurt everyone I love!"

Hades shrugged. "Your point?"

"You're such a monster." Mayura was crying. "How can you have no remorse?"

Hades ignored this. "Hm...looks like you're missing a sin, Athena. Where's all that pride? Don't tell me you were making this up as you went. How can you defeat me with only six sins? Especially when pride is strongest..."

Mayura rushed at him with her staff, only to be thrown away by a forcefield.

"Oh, I forgot to mention something. Remember that pill you swallowed?" the god of the underworld asked.

_"How dare you say I'm sinful?" Hera growled, snapping her fingers. More balls of energy headed towards the goddess of wisdom. A tiny object that looked like a pill also flew at her._

_Mayura smacked them away with her staff again but the tiny capsule landed in her mouth and she swallowed it in shock. Fortunately, nothing happened._

Mayura paled. She thought it was nothing...some random piece of dust that was caught in the energy balls.

"It was a piece of my soul. Now, even if you can find a way to purge my sin, you'll share my fate. You know that removing my sin means killing me...so if you manage to defeat me, you'll die too. Do you really want that?"

She frowned. "You're lying! Envy becomes kindness!"

The green monster emerged from her staff, shifting into the form of a peacock. The peacock rushed towards Hades but he waved a hand through it and it faded.

"Lust is broken by chastity!" A group of pink doves flew at Hades but they passed right through him.

"Abstinence for gluttony! Diligence against sloth! Patience defeats wrath and greed is overcome by liberality!"

The creatures swarmed Hades but none harmed him. Instead, Mayura was left feeling drained of power.

She gripped her staff and swung at him but he dodged, grabbing the staff and snapping it into two pieces.

Mayura picked up the piece of the staff that the ornament was perched on. She backed away from Hades, trying to figure out what she could do.

The virtues weren't strong enough--pride was the greatest sin and she couldn't find anyone who possessed it and was still conscious. Hades contained so many sins that she could not possibly take it from him. Her brute strength as a goddess was no match, either. After all, Hades had defeated the most powerful god already.

Hades laughed at her efforts. "Don't you understand? My life is linked to my sin, and your life is linked to mine. If you remove my sin, you'll die...as will your beloved." He smirked as he glanced down at Earth and she shivered.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just give in? Join me? Then you can go back to Earth and live with your mortal. You'll be happy...the world will be darker, yes, but at least you'll live. I'll even build my statues and order my temples made in China, so you won't have to see me often. All I ask is that you give up. Look at your comrades. Where did fighting get them?"

Mayura frowned, looking around the room to see her siblings' unconscious forms. She closed her eyes, beginning to cry.

"Just let go of those silly morals and you'll have everything you wish for."

She took a deep breath. "Mou, that's not the world I would want to live in, Hades." She pointed her partial staff at him. She had no choice but to try to purify him. "Hades, thy sin is--" She gasped as she saw all the sin surrounding the god of the underworld. It consumed him--sins of every kind, sins of all shapes, sins of all names. She couldn't possibly rid him of all his sins.

Then it came. One of the short bursts of wisdom.

"Our lives and sins are connected," Mayura whispered, spinning her staff.

Hades' eyes widened. "You wouldn't..."

Glancing down as she cried, Mayura spoke with the hopes that it would reach Loki. "I love you, and I'm sorry."

She threw the half of the silver staff into the air and caught it. The sun was facing her. "You allowed your siblings to be hurt. You always think you're the one who can make a difference, that you're the one who really matters. You were the one to leave Olympus because you thought you could save them all by yourself. You think he'll wait for you, no matter how long you take to return to him. You assume that you're the final hope. You think you're better than all those others whose sin you purged."

The staff began to glow.

With a shout, the goddess of wisdom purged her last sin.

"Athena, thy sin's name is pride!"

A pink light came from the staff, dissolving everyone and everything. Earth was swallowed by the light and when it vanished, only darkness remained.

**X X X**

And only the epilogue is left.


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